LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin By Oyebola Owolabi
The Lagos State government has said it would build waste-to-energy plants at the Badagry, Epe, and Olusosun dumpsites to improve waste management, mitigate environmental hazards and encourage recycling.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab stated this at a Waste-to-Energy Summit themed ‘Driving Environmental Sustainability’.
The event, organised by Rack Centre, in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Community Development Service (CDS), brought together key stakeholders to discuss sustainable solutions to waste management challenges.
Wahab, who was represented by Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, emphasised the need for proper dumpsite management to mitigate environmental hazards.
He said: “When Olusosun was established, it was actually on the outskirts, but development caught up with it. There’s a lot of pressure on solid waste management, which is why we are working on reducing the amount of waste dumped on the Olusosun landfill through recycling initiatives.”
The commissioner also outlined LAWMA’s strategic plans to transform waste management by focusing more on recycling, introducing various initiatives such as development of compost and bio-gas plants, to reduce the volume of waste going to the landfills.
“We are working on developing compost and biogas plants on the sites. The future is that we will decommission the Olusosun landfill; we are already in the process. Decommissioning the dumpsite is necessary to address long-term environmental and health impacts. In doing this, we are going to comply with international best practices,” he stressed.
Wahab also announced plans to establish waste-to-energy plants across the state, saying: “Waste-to-energy plants will be established at the Epe dumpsite. The plan is to have three – Badagry, Epe, and Olusosun. We are exploring other alternatives to be used as landfills since we are working on shutting down the Olusosun landfill.”
Convener of the summit and a serving corps member, Dolapo Olaoluwa, said he envisioned a gathering of key stakeholders to discuss solutions to the challenges posed by the Olusosun dumpsite and other waste management issues, as a way of contributing meaningfully to the community where he was serving.
Head of Sustainability Coordination at Rack Centre, Adetayo Odusole, said Rack Centre was pleased to support the initiative as it aligns with its goals of achieving a sustainable environment. He emphasised that achieving this required a collective effort.
Other speakers at the summit included Founding Executive and Chief Operating Officer of Rack Centre, Ezekiel Egboye; Chief Operating Officer, Elektron, Jide Onakoya; Prof. Emmanuel Ogolo, Professor of Atmospheric Physics (represented); senior lecturer of Urban and Regional Planning, Dr. Victor Onifade; Assistant Chief Scientific Officer at the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Olaide Ayodele-Taiwo; and NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Yetunde Baderinwa.
High point of the event was a panel discussion where the stakeholders and experts discussed sustainable solutions to waste management challenges in the state.
