Lagos Cleans Up
Lagos Governor Sanwo-Olu Orders Round-the-Clock Waste Evacuation to Clear Metropolis Refuse Piles
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In his remarks, Sanwo-Olu said the administration “are not oblivious to the inconveniences and concerns occasioned by the situation,” adding that “Lagosians deserve a clean, healthy and environmentally sustainable city.”
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The government said the refusal accumulation had persisted since January, with refuse piling along major roads and public spaces, worsening public frustration.
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Officials described the refuse problem as spanning “street corners,” “road medians,” and suburban areas, with “home and industrial waste” littering major roads and highways from the mainland to the island.
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The statement emphasized that Lagos’s 13,000 tonnes/day figure ranks among the highest in Africa, while also warning that “occasional operational disruptions may occur” due to the city’s size and complexity.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered a 24-hour, round-the-clock waste evacuation across the state after refuse piled up on streets, road medians, and major highways for months. He directed the Ministry of the Environment, LAWMA, and LASEPA to clear all backlogs immediately, saying "Lagosians deserve a clean, healthy and environmentally sustainable city," according to PM News.
The crisis has been building since January 2026. Private waste collectors abandoned routes, landfills closed, and indiscriminate dumping spread from the mainland to Lagos Island. The city generates roughly 13,000 tonnes of waste every day — one of the highest figures in Africa — and the system buckled under the pressure, The Guild reported.
Six Months of Refuse Buildup Triggered the Crisis
The trouble started after the Yuletide season in January 2026. Private Sector Partnership (PSP) operators — the private companies paid to collect household waste — began pulling off routes. They cited rising diesel costs, equipment failures, and payment disputes with the government, according to Punch. Without regular pickups, residents in Alimosho, Mushin, and Lagos Island dumped waste on road medians. Some described the smell as "unbearable."
The situation worsened when two major landfills closed. The Olusosun dump in Ojota and Solous III in Igando were both decommissioned. Waste trucks had to travel all the way to Epe and Badagry to offload. That longer trip meant fewer daily pickups, and backlogs grew fast, PM News reported.
Government Crackdown: License Revocations and Emergency Meetings
The state did not sit still. On May 2, 2026, LAWMA revoked the licenses of five underperforming PSP operators: Kenny JPS, Clean Craft Nig. Ltd., Doveroost Ltd., Dewayls, and Pesjoy Ventures, Daily Post reported. On June 1, Environment Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab called an emergency meeting with remaining operators to address "irregular refuse collection" and growing public anger.
Wahab has called the crisis "temporary" and insisted it is "not a collapse of the system." In April, the state also brought back the mandatory monthly sanitation exercise — a two-hour community cleanup held from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM — for the first time since it was suspended in 2016. The move drew legal pushback from opposition leader Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who questioned whether courts still allowed movement restrictions during cleanups, according to Punch.
Health Risks and Opposition Heat Up as Rains Arrive
Doctors and analysts warn the timing is dangerous. Lagos is deep in rainy season. Stagnant waste blocking drainage channels raises the risk of urban flooding and cholera outbreaks, Premium Times reported. Roughly 50% of the city's daily waste is organic food waste, which rots quickly and emits methane gas in open piles.
The opposition is using the crisis politically. With the 2027 election cycle approaching, the "smelly city" image is a growing liability for Sanwo-Olu. Critics argue that blitz cleanup orders offer only short-term relief. Without fixing the cost of diesel for compactor trucks and the distance to new landfills, the system will break down again, analysts told Punch.
Lagos Bets on Waste-to-Energy Plants for a Long-Term Fix
Beyond the immediate cleanup, the state is pushing a longer-term plan. A new Ikosi Biodigester plant is already running and can generate 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity from just 0.5 tonnes of waste per day, according to BusinessDay. The government says more waste-to-energy facilities are planned as part of a shift toward a "Circular Economy" model that reduces landfill dependence.
LAWMA's CEO Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin acknowledged that rapid urban growth has outpaced the capacity of existing operators. The state has also sealed 239 business premises and made 5,715 arrests for environmental offences in the past year, Channels TV reported. Whether the 24-hour order marks a turning point — or just another temporary fix — depends on whether those structural problems get solved before the next backlog builds.
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