Residents of Ayobo-Ipaja have been asked to cooperate with the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, operational and enforcement teams as the agency moves to clear waste backlogs and prevent the return of illegal dumping hotspots across the area.
The call came as LAWMA commenced a special intervention to remove accumulated refuse along the Ayobo-Ipaja axis, particularly around Megida and its environs, where road medians had become dumping points.
For residents who had watched the piles of refuse grow along the road, the intervention offered a fresh start. But LAWMA says keeping the area clean will require more than simply removing the waste.
It will require residents, traders and businesses to change the habits that created the problem in the first place.
Waste Backlogs: The clean-up is only the beginning
According to LAWMA Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the authority deployed its operational team to clear the affected areas after routine monitoring identified persistent indiscriminate dumping along the corridor. But as the clean-up got underway, enforcement personnel were also deployed.
The reason was simple, if the waste is removed today and dumped again tomorrow, the problem has only been temporarily relocated.
Gbadegesin said illegal trading activities, including markets operating on road medians, had contributed to the recurring dumping, while some residents had also failed to patronise the Private Sector Participation, PSP operators assigned to their areas.
“We are working here right now to clear the accumulated waste and restore the affected areas to acceptable environmental standards,” he said.
He explained that clearing the refuse was only one part of the intervention, stressing the need to prevent illegal dumping and ensure residents use approved waste collection channels.
Waste Backlogs: Two Keke Marwa arrested
As part of the enforcement operation, LAWMA apprehended two tricycles, popularly known as Keke Marwa, for allegedly transporting waste from the community to the road medians.
The development highlights one of the challenges confronting waste management in Lagos—unauthorised waste collectors who operate outside the formal system.
LAWMA warned that such activities would not be allowed to undermine the State’s approved waste management structure.
Residents, traders and businesses in Ayobo-Ipaja were therefore urged to patronise their assigned PSP operators instead of handing refuse to unauthorised collectors or dumping it along roadsides, medians and other prohibited locations.
Waste Backlogs: Residents asked to protect the gains
Imagine returning home after a long day and finding the road you use every day clean and free of piles of refuse.
That is the result LAWMA wants residents to help preserve.
The Authority said waste evacuation would be accompanied by enforcement, improved collection arrangements and continuous monitoring to prevent cleared dumping points from becoming active again.
Gbadegesin therefore appealed to residents to cooperate with LAWMA’s operational and enforcement teams and help sustain the gains of the intervention.
But he also issued a strong warning.
Anyone who attempts to obstruct, assault or interfere with LAWMA officials carrying out their lawful duties could face prosecution.
“We will not tolerate any interference with our efforts to clean the city and protect the environment,” he warned.
The warning applies regardless of whether the person involved is a resident, trader, operator, government official or any other individual.
A cleaner Ayobo-Ipaja starts with everyone
The Ayobo-Ipaja intervention is ultimately a reminder that keeping Lagos clean cannot be achieved by government agencies alone.
LAWMA can clear the waste, but residents must stop dumping it again.
Enforcement teams can apprehend illegal collectors, but residents must use approved PSP operators.
And road medians can be restored, but traders and businesses must keep them free from activities that encourage indiscriminate dumping.
For the residents of Ayobo-Ipaja, the message is clear: while the clean-up has begun, maintaining a clean environment remains a shared responsibility.
LAWMA says it will continue working with relevant stakeholders to restore environmental order across Lagos, while residents are expected to play their part by disposing of waste through the proper channels.
