Sanwo-Olu reportedly asks LAWMA boss to resign over waste crisis

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reportedly asked the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to resign over the persistent accumulation of refuse across the state.
According to the PUNCH Newspaper, which quoted an anonymous LAWMA source on Monday, the governor was dissatisfied with the pace of waste evacuation despite earlier directives to address the crisis.
The newspaper further reported that Sanwo-Olu’s frustration followed an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota about a month ago, during which he reportedly ordered immediate action after declaring a state of emergency on waste management.
It added that the governor believed the situation had not improved sufficiently and asked Gbadegesin to step down over the weekend. The source also claimed the agency chief had sought the intervention of prominent Lagosians.
There was no official confirmation of the reported resignation request in the account, while the state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, could not be reached for an immediate response.
Refuse has continued to accumulate along roads, residential streets and drainage channels in several parts of Lagos, including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2.
The situation has raised concerns about environmental sanitation, public health and the effect of poor waste collection on businesses and residents.
Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on waste collection in September after inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite. He attributed part of the problem to the failure of some Private Sector Participation operators to meet their obligations.
The governor also said fire incidents at dumpsites and ongoing waste-compaction work had slowed operations. He expressed hope that work at Olusosun and Solous 3 would increase disposal capacity and enable faster evacuation.
Despite the concerns, Gbadegesin said in a post on X on Saturday that clearance and collection efforts were continuing in several locations.
He reported that Mile 2 had been cleared, three additional trucks had been deployed to Doyin-Orile, and routine collection was continuing on Ijesha Road and in Itire-Ikate.
He also listed clearance work in Bucknor-Ijegun, Obalende and Iraye, while saying four routes — Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu-Ejigbo Road and the Isheri-Igando corridor — were awaiting field updates.
Gbadegesin said the aim was to move from one-off clearance exercises to sustained waste collection and measures to prevent refuse from accumulating again.
Gbadegesin was reappointed as LAWMA managing director by Sanwo-Olu after the governor’s re-election.