The Lagos State Government has dismissed as misleading criticisms that it lacks a sustainable waste management plan and is ignoring the state’s persistent flooding challenges.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the government’s approach goes beyond emergency refuse evacuation and includes investments aimed at creating a more sustainable waste management system.
Wahab was responding to assertions made by a 2027 governorship candidate during a recent television programme concerning the state’s waste management and flash flood prevention measures.
He said it was important to distinguish between identifying challenges and recognising the concrete measures being implemented to address them.
According to the commissioner, Lagos is investing in Modern Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project.
‘Beyond emergency interventions, Lagos is investing in Modern Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project,’ Wahab said.
He said the objective was to move away from decades of ‘pick-and-dump’ practices towards a system in which waste could be converted into energy and economic value.
Wahab said Lagos generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, adding that the Lagos Waste Management Authority and Private Sector Participation operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes of waste in May 2026 alone, an average of about 13,200 tonnes daily.
He attributed the growing volume partly to the state’s expanding population and the daily influx of people into Lagos.
The commissioner, however, acknowledged that the scale of waste generated did not mean every resident was receiving satisfactory service.
‘We acknowledge collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks,’ he said.
Wahab explained that waste management was an interconnected system in which delays at disposal facilities could affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and ultimately lead to refuse accumulation in neighbourhoods.
He cited rehabilitation works at the Olusosun landfill, including Road E and additional disposal platforms, as measures that had improved operational efficiency. According to him, truck movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips.
He said the state was also strengthening property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data, while reforming the PSP system and sanctioning or terminating operators where necessary.
On flooding, Wahab said the state had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance, flood abatement operations, restrictions on styrofoam and single-use plastics, wetland preservation and the removal of structures on floodplains.
He said these interventions had reportedly reduced flooding incidents by 75 to 80 per cent statewide, arguing that it was therefore misleading to suggest that the government was ignoring the problem.
The commissioner acknowledged that Lagos still faced significant flooding challenges, but attributed some of the difficulties to the state’s coastal geography, tidal locks and the growing effects of climate change.
He maintained that even resilient drainage infrastructure could not completely eliminate flash flooding in a coastal megacity.
‘While challenges remain, the evidence of sustained interventions must form part of the conversation. Flooding is a global coastal challenge, not one peculiar to Lagos,’ Wahab said.
He argued that discussions about the state’s environmental challenges should focus on measurable outcomes, including tonnes of waste collected, completed routes, missed collections, complaint resolution, recurring refuse blackspots and the volume of waste diverted from landfills.
Wahab said the government was also examining whether households had assigned waste collectors, whether operators were adequately equipped, whether scheduled routes were completed and whether complaints from residents were being addressed.
He added that the state must also determine how collected waste was treated, recovered or disposed of, stressing that emergency refuse evacuation should not become a substitute for reliable daily collection.
The commissioner said Lagos still had substantial work to do but insisted that portraying the government as doing nothing ignored ongoing investments, infrastructure development and operational reforms.
‘Criticism should be informed by geography, climate realities and the progress already recorded, not political rhetoric,’ he said.