The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has praised several local government councils for strengthening waste policing and enforcement, as part of efforts to tackle indiscriminate dumping and improve sanitation across Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Speaking to journalists, LAWMA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said closer cooperation between state authorities, local councils and residents was essential to sustaining a cleaner urban environment.
He said some councils had already established monitoring and enforcement structures within their communities, helping to reinforce state-level interventions aimed at reducing illegal waste disposal.
“Effective waste management depends on collaboration at all levels,” he said, urging councils yet to adopt such measures to follow suit in order to promote environmental compliance at the grassroots.
Despite progress through enforcement actions, Dr Gbadegesin said long-term improvements would depend largely on changes in public behaviour.
He called on residents to play a more active role by reporting environmental violations directly to authorities, rather than only sharing images of waste-filled areas on social media.
According to him, timely and actionable reports including photographs or video evidence where possible would help officials identify offenders more quickly and improve accountability.
He also encouraged social media users and content creators to support public awareness efforts, saying community vigilance remained critical to maintaining sanitation standards in densely populated areas such as Lagos.
Dr Gbadegesin cited a recent enforcement operation at Ladipo Market as an example of how coordinated monitoring could improve compliance.
He said four individuals were apprehended while illegally dumping waste following sustained surveillance and the temporary closure of part of the market over sanitation violations.
The suspects were handed over to LAWMA officials for prosecution, in what the agency described as a demonstration of the impact of consistent enforcement backed by cooperation from market leaders and local communities.
Authorities say such measures are necessary to address mounting waste management challenges in Lagos, a fast-growing megacity where rapid urbanisation and population growth continue to place pressure on sanitation systems.
