The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has urged residents to stop patronising unregulated cart pushers, warning that their activities contribute to indiscriminate waste disposal and worsen flood risks.
Wahab gave the warning in a statement posted on his official X account on Saturday, following the monthly environmental sanitation exercise held in the Festac area of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area.
The exercise was attended by the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, his wife, Oluremi Hamzat, and other stakeholders.
According to Wahab, unregulated waste collection by cart pushers often leads to refuse being dumped on road medians, streets and drainage channels, with serious consequences for the environment and flood management.
“We must also discourage the patronage of unregulated cart pushers, whose activities often result in indiscriminate dumping on medians, roads and drainage channels, with serious consequences for the environment and flood management,” he said.
The commissioner said the state government was working to establish a more efficient, sustainable and accountable waste management system, noting that informal and unregulated waste collection undermined those efforts.
He also linked residents’ willingness to pay for waste collection to the quality and reliability of services provided by government-approved operators.
“We recognise that residents’ willingness to pay for waste collection is directly linked to the quality and reliability of the services provided. Our intervention is therefore focused on ensuring that the system works better for everyone,” Wahab said.
He disclosed that the ministry was working to address challenges at landfills, dumpsites and critical waste collection points, while continuing engagements with Private Sector Participation operators to improve waste management services across the state.
Wahab stressed that maintaining a clean Lagos required a collective effort from the government and residents, saying government efforts to provide leadership, infrastructure and regulation must be complemented by responsible waste disposal by individuals.
“A cleaner Lagos requires a collective effort. Government will continue to provide the leadership, infrastructure and regulation needed, but residents must also take responsibility by properly disposing of their waste and keeping their surroundings clean, not only on sanitation days, but every day,” he said.
