Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reportedly appointed Dr. Hassan Sanuth as the new Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), replacing Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, who was said to have been asked to resign over the state’s persistent waste management challenges.
Relevant state authorities had yet to officially confirm the development as of press time.
Sources familiar with the matter said the governor was unhappy with the continued build-up of refuse on major roads, residential streets and drainage channels despite his directives to improve waste collection.
One source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sanwo-Olu asked Gbadegesin to resign over the weekend, though the outgoing MD was said to be seeking more time to fix the problem.
“The directives aim at addressing the waste challenges in the state,” the source told Vanguard.
Another source said the governor was upset that the situation had not improved despite his clear directive, adding that Gbadegesin was appealing for more time and seeking the intervention of prominent individuals.
Emergency declaration
About a month ago, during a visit to the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota, Sanwo-Olu described the heaps of refuse across Lagos as “embarrassing”. He declared a state of emergency on waste management and ordered a comprehensive overhaul of LAWMA’s operational structures and management.
Accompanied by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the governor met with waste sector stakeholders at the site to review challenges affecting municipal waste collection and outline immediate, medium- and long-term solutions.
He attributed the slow pace of collection partly to the failure of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to meet their obligations in preceding weeks.
Sanwo-Olu said compaction work was ongoing at the Olusosun and Solous 3 dumpsites, and that completing it would speed up evacuation. He added that recent fires at the sites had slowed operations, but work had resumed. According to him, once the projects are completed, each dumpsite would receive about 450 trucks of waste daily, effectively doubling the capacity of PSP operators.
Refuse still piling up
Despite these interventions, residents continue to report heaps of refuse in parts of Lagos, including Mushin, Egbeda, Surulere, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Obalende, Apapa and Mile 2. Decomposing waste remains a common complaint along streets, road medians, highways and drainage channels.
In his weekly waste management update on X on Saturday, Gbadegesin reported progress in some affected areas. He said Mile 2 had been cleared with routine collection sustained, and that three additional trucks had been deployed to Doyin-Orile and its environs.
“11 of the 15 routes in this week’s programme now have field updates,” he wrote.
According to the update, daily collection was maintained on Ijesha Road and Itire-Ikate, while Bucknor-Ijegun was cleared and placed on a three-times-weekly schedule. Okeira and Oluodo were placed under LAWMA’s interim service after their PSP arrangements were terminated, while collection continued at Ogolonto and Igbokusu. Obalende was cleared, given a waste bin and placed under surveillance, while clearance continued at Iraye.
Gbadegesin said Apapa, Abesan Estate, Idimu-Ejigbo Road and the Isheri-Igando corridor were still awaiting field updates.
“The objective is to progress from clearance to sustained collection and prevention of recurrence, not simply remove visible waste,” he said.
Gbadegesin was reappointed to head LAWMA by Sanwo-Olu following the governor’s re-election.
Who is Sanuth?
Before the reported appointment, Sanuth was Director of Sanitation Services in the Office of Environmental Services, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
He holds a PhD in Environmental Microbiology and a master’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Ibadan, with research interests in epidemiology, biodegradation, bioremediation and environmental monitoring. He also has certificates in Environmental Monitoring and Modelling from the Institute for Water Education in Delft, the Netherlands, and in Multilevel Water Governance from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.
Sanuth has over 23 years of public service experience across pollution control, billing and monitoring, conservation and ecology. He also served as Nigeria’s focal point for environment under the UNIDO-sponsored Collaborative Action for Sustainable Tourism programme in sub-Saharan Africa.
He is a member of the Science Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Environmental Society and the American Society for Microbiology, and an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
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