Waste Management : Nigeria: Lagos State to invest ₦3 billion in waste management strategy
The state of Lagos will spend ₦2 billion on the restoration and renewal of formal waste dumping sites as well as ₦1 billion on waste transfer stations.
Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu emphasized his administration’s commitment to delivering efficient solid waste management services when he announced the funding decision to the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), the official government mandated supervisory agency for waste management services.
He hopes that ‘rewriting the narrative of waste management’ in the state will help generate more jobs as well as encourage sustainable practices.
Considered the second most populous and the country’s economically most important state, providing efficient solid waste management services has long been one of Lagos’s major challenges. So far, limited government investment in waste collection, transportation and disposal hampered the effectiveness of waste disposal services.
On Wednesday at a formal event, Governor Olu handed over 102 waste collection vehicles (consisting of 90 compactor trucks and 12 hook loaders) and 100 double dino bins to LAWMA.
LAWMA Managing Director Ibrahim Odumboni, who was present at the public presentation of the equipment, said that the waste management body has found tackling solid waste a challenge, being short charged of compactor trucks.
“Lagos State is the fifth largest economy in Africa, with a population in excess of 20 million people. The pressure, resulting from the huge population, added to the volume of economic activities, expectedly trigger huge increases in the volume of waste generated across the state. As at today, no less than 15,000 metric tons of solid waste, is generated in the state on daily basis. This challenge necessitates, that LAWMA has an impressive truck fleet to cope effectively”.
Governor Olu highlighted the need for a public rethink on proper domestic waste management as well as on sustainable practice, adding that his administration is on the verge of formulating a ‘waste-to-wealth’ plan to address these key concerns.
Common challenges to effective solid waste management in the state of Lagos are inadequate financing, lacking public engagement with regards to the reuse and recovery of garbage, insufficient technological innovations and scarce waste management data.