The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has announced plans to establish a biogas plant at the Ketu-Ikosi fruit market, aimed at converting organic waste into sustainable energy and fertilisers.
The announcement was made by Mr. Abimbola Ajayi, Assistant Director of Waste-to-Energy at LAWMA, during a clean-up event organised by the FABE Foundation on Wednesday.
Ajayi stated, “By December 2024, we are going to have a grand breaking ceremony of our biogas plant in this market. And by June 2025, we are going to inaugurate the biogas plant. We are going to have power supply to the market, majorly to the loading bay. And we are going to be providing 29 megawatts of electricity in this market using the same residual food/fruit waste that we think is waste to produce this energy.”
He emphasised the importance of waste segregation, noting, “With the segregation of organic wastes, we will be able to pick pure organic waste that we need for the biogas plant we intend to set up. We are also going to provide a cold room for the traders to preserve their fruits with the provision of this biogas plant.”
Founder of FABE Foundation, Mrs. Temitope Okunnu, urged the traders to make use of available biodigesters to enhance waste management practices.
“We want a situation where the market people themselves can begin to segregate their waste into the kind of waste that can actually feed into the biodigester. With this, they can produce electricity as well as cooking gas from their organic waste.”
She added, “From research, we know that fruit waste can actually generate biogas and compost for farming. We are here today to clean up the Ketu-Ikosi fruit market and our mission is very clear. We want to sensitise the market people where the source of fruit is, so that they can become advocates of change themselves.”
Okunnu also highlighted the relevance of the Project Clean Air initiative: “We will ensure that all the mini-illegal dump sites are eradicated. We will be transforming them into eco-gardens by making use of the compost we have gotten from the market to fertilise the gardens.”
Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Prudential Zenith Life Assurance, Mrs. Charisse Ige, discussed the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“We believe that we all need to be looking at sustainability in order to go ahead positively and successfully in the future,” she said, underscoring the need for proactive waste management to reduce carbon footprints.
Secretary-General of Ketu-Ikosi Fruit Market, Mr. Shola Olokungboye, described environmental cleanliness as a priority for the market.
“Health is wealth. We have our environmental sanitation team that monitors and works here daily to ensure the market is kept clean,” he said, expressing gratitude for the clean-up efforts.