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Lagos residents lament irregular waste collection

Published

5 months ago

November 16, 2025

Residents of Lagos have expressed concern over what they described as the increasingly irregular services provided by Private Sector Participant waste operators in the state, warning that indiscriminate dumping of refuse is heightening environmental and public health risks.

The residents spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

NAN observed that parts of Ikorodu, Ayobo, Alagbado, Shasha, Ikotun, Akesan, Afariogun Street, Mafoluku, Airport Road, and LASU-Iba Road have suffered long gaps in waste evacuation.

Many households have resorted to burning refuse or dumping it in gutters, particularly during rainfall.

In Ikorodu, Miss Adekoya Toyosi, a businesswoman, said PSP operators no longer maintain predictable schedules.

“Collection sometimes drops from three times a month to once a month. If the waste is much and the PSP doesn’t come around, we use the gutter when it rains, and sometimes we burn it when it’s sunny,” she said, adding that residents pay between ₦500 and ₦700 depending on waste volume.

Mr Timilehin Ogunnariwo, also an Ikorodu resident and human resource practitioner, noted that PSP trucks often arrive already full, leaving inner streets unattended.

“I use three drums in my compound, but when waste accumulates, rats scatter it everywhere. Leakage from overflowing PSP trucks in the local market has become a recurring environmental hazard,” he said.

Mrs Ajibola Mafolayanmi, a fashion designer, said she burns her waste three to four times a week.

“There is a field where people dispose of their waste, but it’s far. Burning gives us catarrh and cough, but we have no choice since the PSP does not come to our area,” she explained.

Mrs Ogundinmu Mariam, who oversees market waste in Ikorodu, said refuse is evacuated weekly through the local council but not consistently.

“During the rainy season, the whole place becomes messy and smelly. Some residents have turned to informal haulers,” she said.

Mrs Oluranti Favour, a food vendor, said cart pushers are now her main option, adding that PSP operators “come once in a while.” Another resident, Iya Gbogo, said she pays between ₦500 and ₦1,000 weekly for private disposal because she is not registered under the PSP.

In Ayobo Extension, residents attributed service gaps to bad roads and persistent rainfall. Mrs Gloria Ogbu said operators resurfaced “only after a very long while.”

At Shasha, Egbeda, a teacher, Mrs Stella Lawrence, said PSP operators render “selective services,” noting that nearby estates enjoy regular pickups while other streets are neglected.

“They should make waste evacuation regular and affordable. Many people now rely on banned cart pushers,” she said.

Along AIT Road, Alagbado, NAN observed heaps of refuse on the road median, attributed to weeks of non-collection.

In Ikotun, Mr Ugochukwu Eze, a journalist, criticised the billing system by PSP operators.

“Sometimes, they don’t come for two weeks, yet they bill you as if they came. They behave like the former NEPA that bills you whether service is rendered or not,” he said, calling for a pay-as-you-go model to avoid shortchanging residents.

In the Akesan–Badore axis along LASU–Isheri Road, Mr Kunle Ayodele, a civil servant, said PSP operators had not visited in more than three weeks.

“The heaps of dirt pose a risk of disease outbreak. PSP comes only twice a month, so people now dump refuse on the expressway,” he said, adding that the closure of the Igando dumpsite and relocation to Badagry has increased turnaround time and diesel costs, affecting collection frequency.

Mr Ugochukwu Okoro, a civil servant and resident of Ajao Estate, said PSP operators have reduced collection in the estate despite regular payments.

“I don’t understand what is happening. PSP operators who used to come every Wednesday are no longer coming. Ajao Estate, known for its cleanliness, is gradually being littered with waste,” he said.

However, residents in Lekki Phase 1 reported consistent service. Mrs Ese Afolabi, a civil servant, commended PSP operators for evacuating waste every Monday or the next day if delayed.

“Their consistency keeps the environment clean and healthy,” she said.

The President of the Association of Scrap and Waste Pickers of Lagos, Mr Friday Oku, acknowledged concerns about scavengers scattering waste at collection points. He said the association is collaborating with government agencies to train waste pickers on proper handling and occupational safety.

“Some are not under our association and avoid training because they fear taxation. We are planning more community awareness and training next year,” he said.

Commenting on broader challenges, the President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Dr Olugbenga Adebola, said PSP operators remain committed to effective service delivery but face structural constraints.

“The PSP operators are committed to efficient service delivery. However, as some of your respondents noted, there are challenges at the disposal sites which we, together with the government, are discussing at the highest level. We recently met with the governor, and the discussions were productive. Short-, medium-, and long-term solutions are being worked on to address the disposal problems,” he said.

Residents across affected communities urged the Lagos State Government and Lagos Waste Management Authority to ensure more frequent and predictable PSP services to curb indiscriminate dumping, burning, and related health hazards.

NAN

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News

Photos: Jonathan Visits Tinubu At Presidential Villa

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday met former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.

It was reports that this was disclosed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

A reason for the meeting has not been disclosed as at the time of filing this report.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan meets President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Former President Goodluck Jonathan meets President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Meanwhile, Jonathan has responded to erstwhile Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his submission on his competency during his time in office.

It was reports that Atiku, during a live television interview, claimed that Jonathan made many mistakes while he was President because he was inexperienced.

“I know Goodluck Jonathan very well. He is a decent young man, but also inexperienced, and I believe that contributed to his inability to manage the affairs of the country, particularly when he was faced with challenges,” he said.

Reacting to Atiku’s statement during the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria awards ceremony in Abuja on Monday, Jonathan said no one who becomes a governor or president would say he did not make mistakes.

He defended his administration, adding that he did his best while in office.

Jonathan said: “So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young and probably that’s why he made mistakes.’

“If I made mistakes, yes, nobody who becomes a governor or a president will say you did not make mistakes. Even when you promote yourself to the level of a god, you become a deity.

“All human beings must make mistakes. I became president in 2010 at the age of 53. I left in 2015 at the age of 58, and they say I was too young. Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?”

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Alleged coup plot: DSS moves detained Islamic cleric, Zaria to court for trial

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Sheik Abdukadir Sani Zaria, the Islamic scholar arrested by Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, in connection with the alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu has been moved to the Federal High Court in Abuja for prosecution.

He was brought to court with a retinue of security escorts and his personal associates.

Sani who has been in the detention facility of the DIA and later the Department of the State Service, DSS, since December 2025, was named among the six coup plotters on the charge sheet filed by the Federal Government and billed for arraignment in court today, Wednesday.

He is to be put on trial by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, along with five others, including military officers accused of plotting to wage war against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Islamic cleric was named in counts 1, 2, 3,4, 6 and 7 of conspiring with others to commit felony while he was separately charged on count 9 of the 13-count charge.

Among the accusations against him were that he conspired to bring down a legitimate government, concealed information on the coup plot and rendered support to the coup plotters.

In count 9, the cleric was accused of retaining a sum of N2 million in his account with number 0005620270 domiciled at Jaiz Bank and transferred into the account by a Company, “A & A Express Link Concept” whose ownership was traced to one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, said to be the arrow head of the coup plot.

His offense of terrorism financing was said to be contrary to section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 and punishable under section 18 (3) of the same Act.

Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Monday ordered immediate unconditional release of the Islamic scholar from the custody of the
DIA and later the DSS.

The judge had imposed a fine of N2 million each on DIA and DSS to be paid to the cleric for breaching sections 35 and 36 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution in the ways and manners the 75 year old man was hauled into detention for more than four months without trial.

In a judgment on the fundamental rights suit instituted against DIA and others by the detained Islamic cleric,

Justice Lifu ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Jaiz Bank to pay N1 million each as compensation to him for freezing his bank account without order of any law court.

Besides, the Federal High Court directed the DIA and DSS to tender a public apology to the detained islamic scholar for the breach of his fundamental rights.

Sheikh Sani Abdulladir Zaria was hauled into detention without order of court for allegedly associating with one of coup plotters against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Justice Lifu had lambasted the DIA for its refusal to subordinate itself to civil rule and rule of law by refusing to produce the detained man in court when ordered to do so.

He said that as agency established by law, the DIA should not place itself above the laws of the land in the discharge of its statutory functions.

The judge held that the provisions of Section 36(1)(5) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution avail him and “for all citizens.”

He noted that Nigeria, being a signatory to different international conventions on human rights, cannot afford to be held behind on such issues.

The judge noted that since December 11, 2025, the applicant was kept in “safe custody” without access to family and associates after an investigation was opened about him, on grounds described as security reasons.

Justice Lifu ordered the AGF to ensure immediate compliance with the judgment of the court.

The cleric had been hauled into the DIA custody since December last year following the discovery of N2 million in his Jaiz Bank account paid by one of the indicted coup plotters.

Although he agreed to forfeit the amount to the Federal Government to regain his freedom, the security agency held him to determine the level of his complicity in the alleged coup plot.

The Islamic cleric claimed innocence of the alleged crimes adding that the person who transferred the money into his account was just one of his disciples.

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News

IGP Disu meets NAPTIP DG, pledges stronger action against human trafficking

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has pledged stronger collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, in efforts to tackle human trafficking and organised crime.

The development was disclosed in a statement shared on April 22, 2026 on the official page of the Nigeria Police Force.

According to the statement, the commitment was made when the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, paid a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters in Abuja on April 21.

Discussions during the meeting focused on improving cooperation between both agencies, particularly in the areas of intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building.

The NAPTIP boss sought increased technical support and operational collaboration to strengthen the agency’s ability to address human trafficking and related crimes.

In his response, Disu assured that the police would support NAPTIP through intelligence-led strategies and coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks.

“The Force will deploy its operational and intelligence capabilities to support NAPTIP’s mandate,” the statement said.

Disu noted that specialised units, including the Intelligence Response Team and the police cybercrime unit, would provide technical assistance, while training programmes would also be expanded for NAPTIP personnel.

The two agencies agreed to sustain regular engagements to monitor progress and strengthen efforts against trafficking and organised crime across the country.

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