The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, has attributed the many heaps of refuse that is noticeable in different parts of Lagos state to the long process of Customs clearance of trucks imported by the new waste contractors in the state.
Bamigbetan said that it is wrong for some people to say that the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is out to reverse the policies of his predecessors, especially as they affect waste management.
He said instead of doing that, Ambode was building on the policies of the past governors in the state, including the immediate former governor, Babatunde Fashola’s policies.
The commissioner said this on Tuesday, when he led a team from the state’s Ministry of Information and Strategy on a courtesy visit to The PUNCH Place, the headquarters of the Punch Nigeria Limited, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Bamigbetan however admitted that there had been challenges recently in the collection and disposal of waste in the state, which had made Lagos dirtier with heaps of waste dotting the streets.
The commissioner said the problem was caused because the Private Sector Participation operators, also known as the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, who were initially in charge of domestic waste collection had been moved to the commercial sector while Visionscape, the company that should take over from them had challenges getting its equipment into the country.
He said, “It is a fact that we do not build compactors in this country. It is a fact that our manufacturing sector is so weak that you cannot even have them produce bins, so they have to be sourced from abroad and for you to bring them in; they must go through the Customs’ process. So, a company that had been given the mandate to take over from January 1, was still battling with Customs processing.
“What will normally take one month to do in other countries, including Togo, takes five months here. It took them (Visionscape) five months to get the first batch of compactors in. They had a target of 600 compactors but as of now, they have fewer than 200 compactors.”
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