The Chairman, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN), the umbrella body of the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators in waste management, Oladipo Egbeyemi, has hailed the corresponding resolutions of both the Lagos State House of Assembly and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the return of their services.
In an interview, Egbeyemi described their approved return to service delivery as “restoration time,” noting that “We are glad to note that the government has set up a high-powered sterling committee headed by Mr Tunji Bello and the return of Mr. Ola Oresanya to the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as a consultant”.
Business Hilights recalls that Oresanya who had served as the managing director LAWMA during previous administration, effected strategic reforms that placed the state as among the most beautiful state upon the unprecedented generation of solid wastes within the period.
Under his leadership at LAWMA, the state won several local and international laurels and gained strategic partnerships with leading global agencies in environmental sanitation and urban cleanliness.
Continuing, Egbeyemi added that “This has renewed our hope, as both men are the architects of the waste management system that transformed Lagos from one of the dirtiest to a clean state. Our partnership with LAWMA made Lagos clean and received various accolades.
“We are confident that this partnership will bring about the desired change. With all hands-on deck and the enabling conditions, Lagos will be clean again in a short period.
Giving further insights on the terms of the emerging arrangements, AWMoN boss averred that “We are due to have series of meetings in the coming week with the government to agree on the terms of the contract. We expect the government to provide the right conditions that will result in the restoration of the environment and renew our confidence as investors in this industry. We have submitted our expectations and our commitment to the government”.
On how the returning PSP operators are going to return Lagos to the lost glory, Egbeyemi stressed that “We are not just going to return Lagos to its pre-waste management crisis state; we are going to make it better. We are mindful that there is lots of work to be done, as the events of the last two years have destroyed the system that was built over 16 years.
While stressing that “It will take collective efforts of the government, the residents and the operators to restore,” he appealed to Lagosians to not only patronise their PSP operators, but to also ensure that they bag their waste and pay their bills promptly, saying “Together we can make Lagos clean again. Therefore, it is restoration time”.
On the chances building any form of relationship with Visionscape Group which observers say is currently living on borrowed times, the association boss made it clear that “We have no relationship with Visionscape, neither do we intend to have any”.
