Court directs Lagos government, waste managers to resolve disputes

A Lagos High Court, Igbosere has directed all the Private Sector Participants (PSP), the Waste Management Operators and the Lagos State Government to meet in order to resolve all the issues in controversy between them, so as to achieve the overall objective of a cleaner Lagos.

Justice Oyekan Abdullahi gave the directive after listening to counsel for the PSP operators, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who chronicled the frustrations of the operators as that of investors who have spent time and money to partner with Lagos State for a cleaner Lagos, only to end up being dumped by the government for a preferred foreign investor.

The PSP Waste Operators had approached the Court on January 17, 2017, to challenge the proposed new policy of the Lagos State Government, to bring foreign investors to take over waste collection and management in Lagos State.

Adegboruwa told the court that several letters have been written to the governor of the State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, to which they have not received any positive response, even though the operators are always open to dialogue.

Responding, Mr. S.A. Quadri, who represented Lagos State, countered the waste operators’ arguments by stating that the government was always open and ready to dialogue with them and that even as of February 20, 2017, a meeting was to hold between them and the Commissioner for the Environment.

Having listened to all counsel, the judge directed all the parties and their counsel to meet urgently, with a view to discussing and resolving all pending issues.

“It seem that dirt and refuse heaps have found their ways back into the city again,” the judge noted, but the waste operators responded that even in the face of extreme provocation from the government, they have continued to perform their duties of waste collection and disposal as and when due.