Plate 4.6 Elsewedy electricity transformer factory in Agbara

Several drains have been rehabilitated or reconstructed. Most of the clogged canals have been cleared, for example, the Macgregor Canal which serves several communities such as Ijeh, Obalende, Dolphin, Ikoyi, Osborne (and others within that boundary), and Lagos Island. Apart from cleaning up the canal, it has also been properly aligned all the way to the Lagos Lagoon. A chain-link fence has also been constructed to prevent further abuse of the canal. The same thing has been done in the Achapo Canal, Ajegunle. The communities adjoining these canals do not experience flooding as in the past. A major channel called System 5, which runs all the way from Surulere down to Apapa, through Orile and Ajegunle has also been cleared through dredging. Work is going on in the Oko-Oba channel in Abule Egba and also at the Gbagada and Medina channels.

Sanitation and waste disposal have many components. One of these is highway sanitation, that is, the cleaning of major highways. The Highway Sanitation Unit, formerly under waste management services, became a department of its own in September 2006. The department appointed “Litter Marshals” who were charged with the responsibility of cleaning the highways. The success of the Litter Marshals’ programme led to the establishment of a new private partnership, whereby over 90 companies (private sector participants) referred to as “service providers” registered with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). They provided cleaning/sweeping services at various strategic locations (highways and streets) in the state. About 5,000 workers were employed by these companies to help in keeping Lagos state clean. Apart from providing employment, this programme made almost all the major roads and streets in Lagos metropolis litter free. Over 150 trucks patrol the highways to collect bags of refuse that are collected all over Lagos, keeping the city clean everyday.

Transfer loading stations have been constructed and they serve as transit camps for refuse to be regularly compacted (plate 4.8).

A school advocacy programme has been established through which schools are supplied with beautiful bins for refuse storage before collection instead of the previous incinerating or burning of refuse. The schools are also supplied with waste-sorting bins to teach the pupils how to sort their waste. The essence of this programme is to catch the students young so that they can become agents of change in their various homes and environments. Another aspect of the state’s waste management strategy is the waste-to-wealth programme. This is a strategy to convert waste into fertiliser and use it for beautification.

The state’s population of almost 18 million people generates over 6,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. To tackle this problem, the state government created the LAWMA, which was charged with the responsibility of managing waste generated within the city. Other agencies involved in waste management included the Ministry of Environment as a policy regulator, the local government by virtue of its constitutional role, and private sector participants (PSP operators) who were assigned with the task of collection, transportation, and disposal of waste. An informal labour force was also actively involved in the collection of residual wastes that may have been left uncollected.

The state policy in waste management is geared toward providing an enabling environment for effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure maintenance. Through such partnerships, Lagos has become the largest producer of compost which it supplies throughout Nigeria and to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. It has also improved its management of medical waste to prevent its comingling with domestic waste.

The mission of the LAWMA is “to provide a professional efficient and sustainable waste management and disposal service to the generality of Lagosians, corporate bodies and Governments (Local and State) in Lagos State.”

Its vision statement includes:

• 
  Provision of unprecedented efficient waste management services to all its domestic, industrial, and commercial clients, including the government.
  
• 
  Provision of unparalleled professional services to the government, especially in the area of landfill management.
  
• 
  Adequate provision of waste receptacles as an alternative to indiscriminate waste dumping.
  
• 
  Promotion of unequalled professionalism and efficiency in public service administration.
  
• 
  Adequate public enlightenment and education for reorientation and decent waste collection and disposal habits.
  
• 
  Effective partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders in waste management.
  
• 
  Ensuring a conducive work environment and promotion of a good working relationship, among the workers and general public.
  
• 
  Establishing the organisation as a household name in the area of waste management and other related services.
  

The LAWMA manages three major landfills/dumpsites. These are:

• 
  The Olushosun landfill site. Situated in the northern part of Lagos within the Ikeja local government, it receives approximately 40 percent of the total waste deposits from Lagos. Its size is 42.7 hectares and it has a residual life span of 20 years.
  
• 
  The Abule-Egba landfill site. The site occupies a land area of about 10.2 hectares in the western part of Lagos and receives waste from the densely populated Alimosho local government area. Its residual life span is approximately 8 years.
  
• 
  The Solous sites. Situated along the Lagos State University–IBA road, Solous II occupies 7.8 hectares of land and has an average life span of 5 years. Solous III is a new site with approximately 5 hectares of land and an average life span of 5 years. Each site receives an average of about 2,250 cubic meters of waste per day.
  

The enforcement and compliance unit investigates public complaints relating to issues affecting the state of the environment, issues abatement notices, enforces sanitation laws of the state, and produces weekly enforcement reports and pictorial representations. It also holds mediation meetings between aggrieved parties from the public and private sectors. It documents reports and generates data related to waste management.