Lagos governorship hopefuls debate waste crisis and political records

Lagos governorship candidates sparred over how to tackle the state's worsening waste‑management crisis during a televised debate on Sunday. The contest featured African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Gbadebo Rhodes‑Vivour and All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governor Obafemi Hamzat, who also defended their broader political records and responded to queries about the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

Rhodes‑Vivour painted a stark picture of Lagos as a "stinking" state, blaming years of mismanagement for the decline in refuse collection. He cited figures indicating that the fleet of waste‑collection trucks fell from roughly 1,000 under former Governor Babatunde Fashola to about 200 today, a drop he linked to the centralisation of waste services that, in his view, weakened local government involvement. His proposal called for returning collection duties to local authorities and mandating household segregation of recyclables, arguing that such steps would create jobs and allow both residents and governments to profit from recovered materials.

Hamzat countered by defending the incumbent administration's approach, noting that Lagos is moving away from simply dumping waste in landfills toward investing in material‑recovery facilities. He highlighted ongoing projects at Olusosun and Solous 3 in Alimosho, a newly‑opened recovery plant at Erekiti, and plans for additional stations at Kinsinki and Chikurudu. Hamzat argued that limited land for disposal and rising waste volumes make such infrastructure essential, while also rejecting the notion that the entire state smells, though he admitted some areas experience unpleasant odours.

Background

In 1997, Lagos launched a Private Sector Participation (PSP) framework for gathering household refuse, beginning with trials in the Kosofe and Bariga local government areas. The scheme expanded statewide and was transferred to the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in 2007. LAWMA has identified unreliable service delivery and enforcement challenges as key weaknesses of the PSP model. Following an admission of lags in garbage removal, Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu proclaimed a crisis in waste management in September. Upon visiting the Olusosun landfill, the governor outlined strategies to boost disposal volume, introduce more machinery, and enhance the efficiency of PSP contractors, which included suggestions for establishing transfer‑loading facilities at Olusosun and Solous 3.

Why it matters

The waste‑management debate directly affects Lagos residents, who contend with irregular collection, overflowing dumpsites and associated health hazards. The proposed shift to local‑government‑led collection could reshape service contracts and create new economic opportunities in recycling, while the government's focus on recovery facilities aims to reduce landfill reliance and mitigate land‑use constraints. Politically, the candidates' exchange reflects broader scrutiny of their governance experience, with voters assessing whether past performance on issues such as the #EndSARS protests and party affiliations equips them to address Lagos's infrastructural challenges.

What happens next

Both candidates indicated that their respective waste‑management strategies will be further detailed in upcoming policy documents, though specific timelines were not provided. The state government, under Governor Sanwo‑Olu, plans to continue expanding transfer stations and material‑recovery facilities, with implementation expected to progress alongside the ongoing PSP reforms. The debate outcomes may influence voter sentiment as the Lagos governorship election approaches later this year.