Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to tender his resignation.
The directive follows growing public outrage over uncollected refuse piling up along major transport corridors, residential streets, and drainage systems across the state.
Persistent waste backlog sparks executive action
An insider within the agency confirmed to The Punch on Monday, October 19, 2026, that Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed deep dissatisfaction with the agency’s handling of the environmental situation.
The decision comes after weeks of slow waste evacuation and an alleged failure to execute executive directives efficiently.
The governor’s dissatisfaction escalated following an unannounced inspection of the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota a month prior, where he had previously declared a state of emergency on municipal waste management.
“The governor was upset when he observed that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive,” the source revealed, adding that the LAWMA chief has been reaching out to key stakeholders in the state to intervene on his behalf.
State of emergency fails to clear accumulating trash
For several months, residents across multiple local government areas—including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa, and Mile 2—have raised alarms over deteriorating sanitary conditions.
Decomposing garbage along road medians and blocked waterways has heightened concerns over potential public health outbreaks and environmental degradation.
During his earlier visit to the Olusosun facility alongside Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu outlined several operational bottlenecks, including:
Failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to fulfill collection duties consistently.
Recent fire outbreaks at major dumpsites, including Solous 3, which temporarily halted turn-around times.
Ongoing civil works designed to allow up to 450 waste trucks daily access per site.
LAWMA responds with localised clearance efforts
Despite the call for his resignation, Dr. Gbadegesin highlighted recent operational milestones via his official X (formerly Twitter) account during a weekend update. He noted that key areas were receiving targeted interventions:
Mile 2 & Doyin-Orile: Clearance completed at Mile 2 with three extra compactors deployed to Doyin-Orile.
Ijesha & Itire-Ikate: Daily routine collection restored along major corridors.
Interim intervention: Direct LAWMA collection deployed in Okeira and Oluodo following the termination of non-performing PSP contracts.
Obalende: Waste heaps cleared, commercial bins installed, and active monitoring established.
While LAWMA reported progress on 11 out of 15 priority routes, critical corridors such as Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu–Ejigbo, and Isheri–Igando still awaited full field resolution.
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