The recent cleanup exercise by the Lagos Waste Management Authority at Costain Roundabout and Apapa Road has sparked outrage rather than applause, as many residents describe it as a cosmetic intervention that barely scratches the surface of a deepening sanitation crisis in Lagos.
Across major streets and highways, heaps of refuse continue to fester unchecked, emitting foul odours and attracting disease-carrying pests. Environmental observers warn that if the situation persists, Lagos could be on the brink of a public health emergency, with the risk of a pandemic no longer a distant fear but an imminent threat
Critics have accused LAWMA of selective sanitation alleging that cleanup efforts are disproportionately concentrated along routes frequently used by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, while large parts of the city remain buried under waste. This perception has further eroded public confidence, reinforcing claims that the agency is more reactive to optics than committed to comprehensive waste management.
At the heart of the crisis lies a more structural failure. The Olusosun dumpsite, one of the city’s primary waste disposal hubs, is reportedly in disarray. With the ongoing rainy season, access roads have deteriorated into muddy traps, preventing waste trucks from discharging their loads efficiently. The result is a dangerous backlog, with refuse piling up across the city as collection systems grind to a halt.
What is emerging is a troubling cycle of inefficiency: waste can not reach dumping sites, streets overflow with garbage, and authorities respond with isolated cleanups that fail to address the root causes.
Until LAWMA confronts these systemic challenges ranging from poor infrastructure to operational bottlenecks, Lagos risks sliding deeper into environmental chaos, where occasional cleanups serve only as temporary relief in a city steadily losing its battle against waste.