Wahab vs Rhodes-Vivour: Lagos Waste Management Sparks Fresh Political Face-Off

Kehinde Adeleye

Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, and African Democratic Congress governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour have clashed over the state’s handling of waste management, with both sides offering contrasting views on the causes of the refuse crisis and the government’s response.

Rhodes-Vivour had criticised the state’s approach to waste management and flooding, questioning the reliance on emergency evacuation after refuse had accumulated in some communities. His position was that Lagos needed a system capable of preventing waste from building up in the first place. The exchange has since triggered a broader debate over whether the state’s current interventions are sufficient to address its waste management challenges.

Responding, Wahab acknowledged that Lagos continues to experience collection failures and operational bottlenecks but rejected the suggestion that the government’s strategy was limited to clearing accumulated refuse.

The commissioner said Lagos generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, while the Lagos Waste Management Authority and licensed Private Sector Participation operators evacuated about 418,500 tonnes in May 2026, averaging 13,200 tonnes daily. The May figure was also contained in LAWMA’s operational report.

Wahab, however, stressed that the evacuation figures should not be interpreted as evidence that every resident was receiving satisfactory service.

“These figures underscore the enormous scale of the responsibility. They do not suggest that every resident receives satisfactory service. We acknowledge collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks,” he said.

But while responding to the criticism, the commissioner said it was inaccurate to portray the government as having no long-term strategy beyond emergency evacuation.

“It is misleading to suggest that Lagos has no plan beyond clearing refuse after it accumulates,” Wahab said.

He explained that waste management involved several interconnected stages, arguing that problems at disposal facilities could affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and eventually result in refuse accumulating on streets and in neighbourhoods.

Wahab pointed to improvements at the Olusosun disposal facility following the rehabilitation of Road E and the provision of additional disposal platforms, saying the intervention had improved truck movements and disposal capacity.

Beyond evacuation, he said the state was working towards a broader system involving transfer loading stations, material recovery facilities, recycling, composting and the proposed Epe waste-to-energy project.

“The objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic value,” he said.

The government has also outlined plans to move away from dependence on older landfill operations towards facilities where waste can be sorted, recovered, recycled and repurposed. Wahab has previously spoken about transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities as part of the planned transition.

On the issue of accountability, Wahab said the state was strengthening its monitoring of waste operators through measures including property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data.

He added that operators failing to meet their obligations could face sanctions, including termination of their contracts where necessary.

For Rhodes-Vivour, however, the existence of emergency evacuation exercises raises questions about the effectiveness of routine collection, particularly when residents continue to report refuse accumulation in some areas.

Residents in parts of Ikotun, Idimu, Ejigbo and Egbeda have previously complained about refuse piles despite LAWMA’s reported evacuation of 418,500 tonnes in May.

Wahab also rejected the idea that monthly environmental sanitation exercises could serve as a substitute for regular waste collection.

“The monthly environmental sanitation exercise is not a substitute for an effective waste management system,” he said, while urging residents and businesses to avoid indiscriminate dumping in drains, road medians and public spaces.

The commissioner said the performance of the waste management system should ultimately be measured by practical outcomes, including household coverage, completed collection routes, missed collections, complaint resolution, recurring waste blackspots and the volume of waste diverted from landfills.

While acknowledging that Lagos still had significant work to do, Wahab said the government’s infrastructure investments and operational reforms should be considered alongside the problems residents continue to face.

“Lagos has significant work ahead, and we must acknowledge that honestly. But to suggest that nothing is being done ignores the investments, infrastructure and operational reforms already underway,” he said.

The exchange highlights a central question in Lagos’ ongoing waste debate: whether the state’s current investments and reforms can translate into more consistent collection and cleaner neighbourhoods, while addressing the operational gaps that both sides acknowledge remain part of the challenge.