Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to exercise patience as the government works to address recurring delays in waste evacuation across the state.
Sanwo-Olu made the appeal during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, following complaints from residents regarding irregular pickups by Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
Addressing the grievances, the First Lady explained that collection challenges stem partly from hiked operator charges and long turnaround times at dumpsites, where trucks often face multi-day queues due to limited access routes.
Describing the bottlenecks as temporary “teething problems,” Sanwo-Olu assured residents that relevant stakeholders and the state government are deploying new strategies to streamline waste management and keep Lagos clean.
During her assessment, she commended locals for properly bagging their refuse instead of dumping it near drainage channels, noting that a collection truck was actively clearing waste from the neighborhood during the visit.
The First Lady also advocated for proactive waste separation at home, encouraging residents to sort recyclable materials like plastics and paper from general waste to reduce the burden on disposal sites.
Highlighting youth engagement, Sanwo-Olu noted that involving schoolchildren in the sanitation exercises is designed to instill lifelong environmental responsibility from an early age.
Speaking on public response, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, reported a noticeable shift in civic culture, noting that residents now voluntarily turn out to clean their streets compared to when the exercise was first reintroduced.
Rotimi-Akodu reiterated the state’s focus on driving a cultural shift toward sustainable environmental habits, urging citizens to completely abandon indiscriminate dumping in favor of organized waste recycling.
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