Some residents of Lagos State on Saturday decried the inability of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to evacuate wastes generated during sanitation.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, they complained that all the wastes they generated during the exercise were not picked hours after the exercise.
NAN reports that some of the affected areas include Fola Agoro, Fadeyi both in Shomolu Local Government Area; Surulere, Idimu, Yaba, Mushin and Ebute Meta areas of the state.
A landlady on Olatunji Oyewole St. Fola Agoro, Mrs Grace Kasali, told NAN that the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators were not prompt in removing the wastes generated during the sanitation.
Kasali said, “We are appealing to LAWMA to always send back-up trucks to our areas to pick our refuse after the monthly sanitation.
“We have made several reports to LAWMA’s head office but we have not seen any change.
“We are appealing to LAWMA to change the PSP serving our areas and send back-up trucks to assist us in evacuating our wastes,’’ she said.
A businessman residing in Lawanson area of Surulere, Mr Ime Umoren, said that a LAWMA back-up operation was no longer effective in the area to remove their wastes.
Umoren said that the LAWMA phone numbers for services were no more effective.
He said that many residents had been finding it difficult to reach LAWMA in case of emergency.
“I have noticed that LAWMA’s services were no longer active like it was four years ago.
“LAWMA needs to step up its wastes business, if we want to change the face of Lagos.
“More that 10,000 tonnes of wastes are being generated daily and more trucks should be assigned to different places to ensure prompt evacuation of refuse,’’ Umoren said.
A fruit seller in Ijesha area, who simply identified herself as “Iya Latifa’’, said that PSP trucks were no longer coming to collect their refuse.
“Residents now begged them to come and pick their refuse being generated everyday in the area.’’
“Sometimes, I beg them to pick the wastes of my neighbours whenever they were not at home but they would not listen.
“This is why some of us engage the services of cart pushers to carry our refuse and we pay them immediately,’’ she said.
NAN reports that many residents of Ijesha area were seen waiting for the waste managers to pick their wastes after the sanitation.
Efforts made to seek the reaction of the Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Mr Ademuyiwa Adejokun, failed as he could not pick his calls.