Mounting refuse heaps raise health fears in Lagos

From Eugene Agha, Peter Moses a Dotun Omisakin, Lagos

Residents of Lagos have raised concerns over growing heaps of uncollected refuse littering roads, markets and residential areas, warning that the worsening waste crisis is threatening public health, disrupting businesses and denting the image of Nigeria’s commercial capital.

In recent months, refuse has accumulated along major roads and in drainage channels across the metropolis, with many residents complaining that waste collection now takes weeks in some areas.

From Mushin to Oshodi, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2, heaps of decomposing waste line streets and drainages, leaving communities to contend with offensive odours, flies and rodents.

Residents said the situation has become more worrisome during the rainy season as blocked drains worsen flooding and stagnant water mixes with decomposing waste.

Health experts warn that such conditions create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease-causing organisms, increasing the risk of cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhoea and other sanitation-related diseases.

Parents also expressed concern over the health and safety of their children.

Mrs Adeline Ogunleye, a 62-year-old trader in Mushin, said the sight of overflowing refuse had become part of daily life.

“Every morning, the smell wakes us before the alarm clock does,” she said, adding, “We have learnt to live with it, but we shouldn’t have to.”

Commercial bus driver Taiwo Lawal said the refuse heaps have become another obstacle for motorists.

“Sometimes, the garbage blocks half of the road. When it rains, you can’t even tell where the drainage begins or where the road ends,” he said.

Business owners said the crisis is affecting patronage. Blessing Okafor, who runs a restaurant in Oshodi, said customers often leave because of the offensive odour.

At Boundary Market in Ajegunle, traders said shoppers now avoid areas close to overflowing dumpsites, while food vendors in nearby Alayabiagba lamented constant invasion by flies.

Ayomikun Olabusoye, a resident of Ikotun, described the situation as embarrassing for a state that prides itself as the “Centre of Excellence,” although he acknowledged that officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) regularly evacuate refuse in his area.

Similarly, Peace Okoro, a resident of Ogba, said the offensive odour pollutes the environment and blocked drains worsen flooding whenever it rains.

Refuse management in Lagos

Waste management in Lagos State has undergone major changes over the past decade as successive administrations adopted different approaches to tackling the city’s growing refuse challenge.

Former governor Akinwunmi Ambode introduced the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) in 2017 through a partnership with Visionscape Sanitation Solutions. The programme aimed to modernise waste collection with new technology, transfer stations, engineered landfills and waste-to-energy projects.

However, the transition was plagued by challenges. Poor implementation, legal disputes, unclear service responsibilities and public dissatisfaction disrupted waste collection across many parts of the state, making the initiative one of the most controversial policies of the Ambode administration.

After taking office in 2019, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu reversed the approach by restoring the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as the lead agency and strengthening the PSP system instead of replacing it.

The administration also shifted attention to recycling, composting, waste-to-wealth initiatives and other circular economy programmes aimed at reducing landfill pressure and improving environmental sustainability.

In April, the state reinstated the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, 10 years after it was suspended following a court ruling.

Despite these reforms, refuse management remains a major challenge.

Lagos, Ogun on collision course over refuse dumping

Daily Trust reliably gathered that Lagos and neighbouring Ogun State may be headed for a fresh dispute over the worsening refuse crisis in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Penultimate weekend, trucks linked to the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) were reportedly caught dumping refuse at the Sotubo axis of the Sagamu–Ikorodu Expressway in Ogun State.

Sources said the move was aimed at easing pressure on the Olusosun dumpsite and addressing the growing waste crisis in Lagos.

However, residents and the management of the Southwestern Nigerian College of Health Technology, located in the area, opposed the dumping, citing potential environmental and public health risks.

Residents said they had, for weeks, raised concerns over trucks transporting refuse from Lagos to the community, alleging that the area was gradually being turned into an illegal dumpsite.

They warned that the development had polluted the environment, exposed residents to offensive odours and increased the risk of disease outbreaks.

Miffed by the development, the Chairman of Sagamu Local Government  stormed the location where he reportedly seized several trucks linked to LAWMA.

The chairman said the action followed complaints from residents and community leaders over the environmental and health hazards posed by the activities of refuse truck drivers allegedly transporting waste from Lagos State into Ogun State.

He described the situation as unacceptable, insisting that Sagamu would not serve as a dumping ground for waste generated outside the local government.

As part of the enforcement, some of the trucks were impounded, while others were directed back to Lagos State.

The Rector, Southwestern Nigerian College of Health Technology, Dr. Adedayo Adebanjo, commended the council chairman for responding to the concerns of the institution and surrounding communities.

He said the intervention would help protect students, staff and residents from the health risks in indiscriminate waste disposal, urging authorities to sustain the enforcement to prevent a recurrence.

When our correspondent contacted the Commissioner for Environment in Ogun State, Ola Oresanya, on the development, he declined to comment.

“I don’t want to comment on the issue for now,” he told Daily Trust.

We’re sorry, Lagos Commissioner to residents

Last month, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, apologised to residents over recurring waste evacuation lapses in the state.

Speaking during ‘The Morning Show’, an Arise TV programme, Wahab acknowledged that waste collection had been “very bad” in the past three to four months.

“Let me start by apologising to Lagosians. The past three to four months have been very bad with respect to waste collection, but we didn’t just get there overnight.

“I won’t play the ostrich by not admitting we had a challenge. Are we fixing it? Yes,” he said.

Wahab said Lagos can no longer sustain its decades-old waste disposal model of simply collecting and dumping refuse at landfill sites.

According to him, rapid urbanisation around major landfill sites such as Olusosun and Solous has made the existing system unsustainable.

“For decades, we had practised a linear waste system. We just pick up waste and we dump it. Olusosun and Solous were on the outskirts of Lagos. We all went to build around them.

“We can’t sustain that. We don’t even have the land. If our total land mass is 0.4 per cent of the country’s land mass, 3,355 square kilometres of land, it shows we must think outside the box,” he said.

The commissioner said the state would be transitioning from a “pick-and-dump” approach to a circular waste economy that treats waste as a resource.

He cited recent investments in waste-to-energy initiatives, including a biodigester facility at the Ecocircuit centre, which converts food waste to energy.

Wahab added that the state is also developing a larger waste-to-energy facility expected to process about 4,250 tonnes of waste daily.

At the weekend, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) deployed 10 new compactor trucks to strengthen waste evacuation operations across Lagos State.

Speaking at the deployment of the trucks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, expressed appreciation to the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) for donating the vehicles.

He described the gesture as a demonstration of the Lagos State Government’s commitment to strengthening public service delivery through strategic inter-agency collaboration.

Refuse crisis could trigger disease outbreaks – Health expert

Dr Otubo Victor, a public health advocate, said poor waste management exposes residents to diseases such as cholera, malaria and hepatitis.

Speaking in an interview, he said Lagos’ perennial flooding compounds the problem, as refuse dumped on streets is washed into waterways whenever it rains.

He said contaminated water can pose serious health risks to families, particularly those who rely on boreholes for drinking and cooking.

Victor also blamed irregular refuse collection for the growing waste crisis, noting that in some parts of Lagos, waste remains uncollected for four to five weeks or longer.

He said the situation poses significant public health risks and called for a more efficient and regulated waste collection system.

“In developed countries, waste is collected much more frequently. I was in London two weeks ago, and refuse collectors came every two days. Lagos should adopt a similar system by ensuring waste is evacuated at least every two days,” he said.

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