LAGOS, Nigeria — Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed an immediate scale-up of waste evacuation operations across Lagos State following widespread complaints over the rapid accumulation of refuse on major metropolitan roads.
The executive directive was officialized on Thursday, June 18, 2026, via a state notification to clear backlog piles and prevent severe public health hazards during the ongoing rainy season.
Okay News reports that the intervention follows rising public outcry from communities in Alimosho, Mushin, and Ikotun, where uncollected household waste has blocked drainage channels and encroached on major highways. To arrest the crisis, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources alongside the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to run round-the-clock emergency cleanup deployments, mobilizing additional compactor trucks and operational personnel to restore environmental normalcy.
State officials highlighted that Africa’s largest commercial hub generates roughly 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, creating significant pressure points for the city’s 442 private sector participation (PSP) collection operators. While LAWMA figures indicate that over 418,500 tonnes of refuse were successfully cleared in May 2026 alone, rapid urbanization and logistics deficits have allowed illegal blackspots to re-emerge. Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, urged residents and local market boards to stop dumping garbage indiscriminately, warning that stricter environmental code enforcement will be deployed across all 27 newly restructured transit routes to ensure long-term urban sustainability.
