Managing director of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has reiterated the agency’s commitment to improving the waste management services rendered by private sector participants (PSP) through robust government assistance to sustain their businesses.
As a sign-post of greater things to come the way of these entrepreneurs, Dr. Gbadegesin presented consolatory cheques to three PSP operators whose compactors got burnt on active duty.
The occasion was an interactive session with PSP operators at LAWMA Ogudu zonal facility, where he noted that the authority would not relent in its effort to provide a business friendly environment for the waste collectors, as well as a climate of partnership and collaboration.
Speaking further, Gbadegesin hinted that the authority would early next year take delivery of new compactors being procured by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in a determined effort to tackle the challenge of waste management in the state.
Waxing philosophical, he reflected that no one could accurately predict future occurrences in business, hence the need for the operators to get insurance cover for their operational vehicles, to mitigate unforeseen occurrences that are not palatable.
He said 2019 had been an eventful year for waste management in the state and the end of the year interactive session became necessary to dialogue over subsisting challenges hampering their operations and work towards proffering solutions to them.
The LAWMA boss was emphatic that the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu would stop at nothing to support the waste collectors in the execution of their statutory duties, promising that the in-coming year would witness drastic improvements in waste management services across the metropolis.
Responding, the president of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), Mr. David Oriyomi, lauded the humanitarian gesture of the government on the cheque presentation, promising renewed enthusiasm of PSP operators to work tirelessly towards making Lagos cleaner and livable for residents.
He commended the state government for improving the condition of landfill sites in the metropolis, which would pave way for efficient turn-around time of waste evacuation trucks, urging the government to do more to boost the welfare of PSP workforce.
The interactive session was attended by various environmental stakeholders in the state, including the chairman, House Committee on Environment, Lagos state House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot.
