Mr Femi Olaniyi, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State for the 2027 election, has unveiled a five-point waste management masterplan to transform waste into economic value.
Olaniyi told the news reporters on Friday in Lagos that the plan would decentralise waste management, reform the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), expand recycling, improve waste evacuation and deploy technology for accountability.
According to the candidate, also chairman of the party in the state, Lagos generates between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of waste daily, putting pressure on existing infrastructure.
Olaniyi said his administration would reform LAWMA by separating its regulatory and operational functions and establishing a commercially-oriented Lagos Waste Company to handle operations.
“I will split LAWMA into two: LAWMA-Regulator to regulate, and Lagos Waste Company to operate commercially. No more regulator plus player,” he said.
He proposed 20 LGA Waste Authorities, with each local government managing collection in its area with state support, noting that waste was local and should be managed close to where it was generated.
Olaniyi promised to pay all outstanding arrears owed Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators within 100 days and provide compactor trucks through a lease-to-own scheme.
He said the reform would shift Lagos from a dumping-oriented system to a circular economy where waste would generate employment, income and energy.
“This is how we say farewell to poverty through waste.
“We are proposing buy-back centres in every Local Council Development Area (LCDA), where residents can exchange sorted plastics, cans and paper for instant cash or mobile-money payments,” he said.
He said informal waste workers, including youths, would be organised into recycling agents under the system.
The candidate also proposed five recycling hubs in Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Alimosho and Ikeja for processing recyclables and converting plastics to pellets, while organic waste would be processed into compost for farmers to reduce landfill volume.
He said his administration would partner private investors to establish two waste-to-energy plants to convert non-recyclable waste to electricity for streetlights.
Olaniyi proposed mandatory house-to-house evacuation and distribution of two million waste bins in the first year.
“Every house and shop must have a LAWMA bin. We will produce two million bins in the first year,” he said.
He said indiscriminate dumping on medians, roads and drainage channels would attract sanctions, adding that reliable evacuation would discourage dumping.
“No more dumping on median, road, canal. Taskforce will enforce, but more importantly, we make evacuation reliable — if we pack on time, people won’t dump,” he said.
On flooding, Olaniyi said he would establish a drainage desilting corps of 10,000 youths to clear canals and drains, noting that blocked drainage was a major cause of flooding.
He proposed special operations in major markets, including Oshodi, Mile 12, Alaba and Balogun, with night evacuation squads and compactors deployed inside the markets.
“All major markets will have night evacuation squad plus waste compactors inside the market,” he said.
On technology, he said all PSP trucks would be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers for residents to monitor collection, and proposed a “Green Lagos App” for reporting illegal dumpsites.
“Take picture of illegal dumpsite, send, we clear in 24 hours and you get reward,” he said.
On funding, Olaniyi said the reforms would not require increase in LAWMA bills, adding that major producers would contribute to managing plastic waste under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.
He said carbon credits from waste-to-energy projects would provide additional financing.
The candidate projected that the master plan would create 50,000 direct jobs and significantly improve cleanliness within 12 months.
“In 12 months, Lagos will not only be cleaner than Kigali, but 50,000 direct jobs will be created from waste alone,” he said.
The candidate said the policy, with the slogan: “Lagos Must Be Clean, Lagos Must Create Wealth From Waste.