The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has destroyed over 400 carts confiscated from pushers who serially dump waste in unauthorised locations across the city, clearly violating state environmental laws.
Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, said the exercise, which would be ongoing, was necessary to weaken the ability of cart pushers to return to business and to decimate the cart population defacing the cityscape, stressing that cart pushers’ activities across the Lagos metropolis remained banned.
He observed that cart pushers posed a threat not only to environmental sustainability but also to residents’ security, as many cart pushers carry dangerous weapons such as knives, machetes, and others in order to commit criminal acts.
According to him, “Cart pushers are about the biggest threat to our effort at attaining environmental sustainability. We will not allow anyone or group of persons to derail the ongoing efforts to make the environment better. Criminal elements have hidden under this guise to carry out heinous crimes. If there are no carts to push, they will get other jobs.
“They pose as much threat to the environment as to the security of the citizens. It will shock you to know that many of them keep weapons like knives, machetes, etc, in their carts to attack and dispossess unsuspecting persons when the opportunity presents itself. One of such cart pusher was tried and jailed last week, having been apprehended at Victoria Island, vandalising and stealing government’s iron rods. There have been many reported cases of theft of movable items from people’s compounds traced to them”.
The LAWMA boss stated that there was still time for repentant cart-pushers to come forward, register with LAWMA, and be trained as pickers and offtakers of recyclables, working alongside other stakeholders in the waste management chain.
Odumboni maintained that the government was not interested in taking away their source of income, which must be done within the confines of the law.
The LAWMA director reaffirmed the agency’s total commitment to making the State’s urban space more environmentally friendly, urging residents to join the Authority’s quest for a cleaner Lagos by avoiding improper waste disposal, paying their waste bill, and patronizing assigned PSP operators.
Mr. David Oriyomi, president of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, AWAMN, also commented, praising the government’s consistent support for the association and promising a new era of fruitful collaboration with LAWMA.
https://www.tvcnews.tv/2022/05/nfiu-applauds-court-decision-on-lg-autonomy-vows-to-report-finances-to-efcc-icpc/Mr. Kunle Adebiyi, Executive Director Finance at LAWMA; Dr. Olohunwa Tijani, Chief Technical Officer; Mr. Idowu Sanni, Head, Enforcement Unit; and other stakeholders were in attendance.
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