The
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo
Wahab, and the 2027 Lagos governorship candidate of the African Democratic
Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, have disagreed over the state government’s
management of waste and flooding.
The
disagreement followed Rhodes-Vivour’s appearance on Channels Television’s
Politics Today on Tuesday, where he raised concerns about waste management and
flooding in Lagos and described the state as “stinking.”
Responding
to the concerns, Wahab said while some of Rhodes-Vivour’s concerns were
legitimate, it was misleading to suggest that the Lagos State Government had no
plan beyond clearing refuse after it accumulated.
Lagos
generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, Wahab
said, adding that the Lagos Waste Management Authority and private sector
participation operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes of waste in May
2026 alone.
The
commissioner said waste management was an interconnected system, explaining
that delays at disposal facilities could affect truck turnaround, disrupt
collection schedules and eventually lead to refuse accumulation in
neighbourhoods.
“Waste
management is an interconnected system. Delays at disposal facilities affect
truck turnaround, disrupt collection schedules and eventually create refuse
accumulation across neighbourhoods,” he said.
Wahab
said the rehabilitation of Road E and additional disposal platforms at the
Olusosun landfill had improved operational efficiency.
“Truck
movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the
intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips,” he
said.
Beyond
emergency interventions, he said the state was investing in Modern Transfer
Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling, composting and the
Epe waste-to-energy project.
“The
objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a
sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic
value,” Wahab said.
On
data collection, the commissioner said, “The principle is straightforward: a
modern waste management system must measure what it manages.”
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He
said the government was strengthening property enumeration, geocoded service
locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and
recovery data.
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Wahab
added that the government was also reforming the PSP system and would sanction
or terminate operators where necessary.
He
said the state needed to ask questions about the effectiveness of its waste
management system, including whether every household had an assigned waste
collector, whether operators were adequately equipped and whether scheduled
collection routes were completed.
He
also asked, “When residents complain, does anyone respond?”
Other
questions, according to the commissioner, included whether collected waste was
properly treated, recovered or disposed of and why emergency evacuation should
become a substitute for reliable daily collection.
“These
are questions government is answering with measurable performance, not
political rhetoric,” he said.
Wahab
also rejected the idea that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise
should be regarded as a substitute for regular waste collection.
“The
monthly environmental sanitation exercise is not a substitute for an effective
waste management system.
“Government
must provide reliable services, while residents and businesses must equally
stop indiscriminate dumping into drains, road medians and public spaces,” he
said.
He
urged the public debate to move beyond descriptions of Lagos as “stinky” and
focus on measurable outcomes.
“The
conversation should therefore move beyond describing Lagos as ‘stinky’ and
focus on measurable outcomes: tonnes collected, routes completed, missed
collections, complaint resolution, recurring blackspots and waste diverted from
landfills,” Wahab said.
He
acknowledged that the state still had work to do but said it was inaccurate to
suggest that no action was being taken.
“Lagos
has significant work ahead, and we must acknowledge that honestly. But to
suggest that nothing is being done ignores the investments, infrastructure and
operational reforms already underway,” he said.
On
flooding, Wahab said Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism had to be considered against
Lagos’ coastal geography, tidal locks and the growing impact of climate change.
“As an
architect, he should appreciate that even the most resilient drainage
infrastructure cannot entirely eliminate flash flooding in a coastal megacity,”
he said.
According
to Wahab, the state had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations,
year-round maintenance and flood abatement operations, while also undertaking
wetland preservation and removing structures on floodplains.
He
said the interventions had reportedly reduced flooding incidents by between 75
and 80 per cent statewide.
“It is
therefore misleading to suggest that flooding is being ignored or that no
meaningful progress has been made.
“While
challenges remain, the evidence of sustained interventions must form part of
the conversation,” Wahab said.
He
added, “Flooding is a global coastal challenge, not one peculiar to Lagos.”
“The
relevant question is not whether every flood can be prevented, but how
effectively a city prepares, mitigates risks and protects its residents,” he
said.
However,
Rhodes-Vivour, in a response, criticised Wahab’s statement, saying it contained
“lengthy explanations, with little by way of solutions.”
“Plenty
of prose, very little results,” the ADC candidate said.
He
argued that accumulated refuse was a major contributor to flooding, saying
waste could be washed into drainage channels during rainfall even when
residents did not deliberately dump it there.
“It
might not be obvious to you and your principals, but most Lagosians and even
foreigners can see it clear as day – REFUSE! GARBAGE! WASTE!
“If
you’re not packing the refuse, it will stack up and be washed into the drainage
by the rain. Citizens don’t even have to dump their refuse in the drains. The
rain will do it for them,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
Rhodes-Vivour
also questioned the density of roads and drainage infrastructure in the state.
“Do
you have any idea how many roads (and therefore the accompanying drains) that
Lagos State has per km² of land? I checked,” he said.
He
claimed Lagos had 1.3 kilometres of roads per square kilometre of land,
compared with 13.6 kilometres in Singapore.
“In
case you’re wondering what this has to do with flooding – more drains means
less water on the road surfaces,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour
proposed that the government clear existing drains and major drainage channels
of waste, build more roads and drains and develop boardwalks or embankments
along lagoon and river shorelines.
He
also proposed the use of sluice gates and high-powered water pumps to regulate
water levels inland of the gates.
“I’m
merely putting out this information because these are just some of the
pragmatic, practical measures @GRVlagos and I will implement to alleviate the
perennial flooding problem,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour
also criticised the APC-led administration in Lagos, saying, “27 years of
incompetence have shown us that your APC government is completely and
unarguably incapable of implementing these simple measures.”
He
concluded by calling on Lagos residents to work with his political platform to
“Make Èkó Great Again.”
The
exchange comes ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election, with waste
management, flooding, traffic and other quality-of-life issues expected to
feature prominently in the political campaign.
