LAWMA & Health Officers Team Up to Chase Dirt Out of Lagos!

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), Lagos State Chapter, have agreed to establish a joint task force aimed at achieving a cleaner and more sustainable Lagos.

Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by EHOAN officials to LAWMA headquarters in Ijora Olopa. He commended the association for its role in maintaining cleanliness, particularly at the grassroots level, and described the visit as a move toward stronger collaboration between both agencies.

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“Environmental health officers are the bedrock of what we do in LAWMA. We both directly impact public health,” Gbadegesin said.

“We’ve begun decommissioning landfills in favour of transfer loading stations, with waste now moved to landfills in Epe and Ikorodu. Material recovery facilities are also planned across all local councils. There’s progress in the waste-to-energy sector, and we’ve begun fruitful collaborations in that regard.”

He further noted that LAWMA has intensified enforcement operations across Lagos markets, shutting down 13 recently due to environmental violations. President of the Lagos chapter of EHOAN, Dr Cyril Akinyele Babasope, said the visit was to reinforce commitment to better waste management anchored on community engagement and regulatory vigilance.

“As partners, we can form joint task forces to identify problem areas and implement lasting solutions,” he said. “We also need capacity building and access to environmental data, to help our officers detect, analyse and respond to risks efficiently.”

Babasope raised concern over indiscriminate dumping of waste on road medians and public spaces, stressing the need for more environmental health officers to boost surveillance and enforcement.

National President of EHOAN, Dr Samuel Akingbeyin, lauded LAWMA’s efforts but urged improved data sharing to enhance operational efficiency. In response, Gbadegesin noted that LAWMA already has a Waste Management Research and Policy Development Department and promised to absorb and train more health officers to boost performance.