In a direct move to arrest the mounting refuse backlog across the metropolis, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, declared a “small state of emergency” on waste management.
The declaration was made during an extensive on-the-spot inspection of the major Olusosun landfill site in Ojota. Governor Sanwo-Olu was accompanied by Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab.
Addressing journalists and operational teams at the site, Sanwo-Olu stated that urgent action was necessary to overhaul the current refuse collection and disposal framework following weeks of heightened pressure and indiscriminate dumping in several areas of the state.
“We are here for ourselves to see what the problem is and what is happening, so that we can clearly declare what we will call a small state of emergency,” Governor Sanwo-Olu stated. “This is necessary for us to get out of this very unpleasant situation and restore effective waste collection and disposal across Lagos.”
The Lagos State Government has ordered 160 new compactor trucks to boost collection capabilities. Additional landfill compactors and heavy-duty vehicles will be provided in collaboration with waste management firm Zoomlion.
Immediate operational adjustments at the Olusosun landfill will expand its daily handling capacity from 250–350 trucks to between 350 and 450 trucks by increasing active tipping points.
Within the next six weeks, four additional active dumpsites will be expanded or reopened to drastically reduce truck wait times: Solu 3 in Alimosho, Iwulepe in Ikorodu, Oke-Osho in Epe, and Erikitte in Badagry.
The state is constructing two 2,400-metric-tonne Transfer Loading Stations at Olusosun and Solu 3, feeding into Material Recovery Facilities at Oke-Osho and Erikitte to process and sort waste. These facilities are slated for completion between Q1 and Q2 2027.
The state government, alongside Private Sector Participants (PSPs), will audit all 800 registered operators to weed out ineffective providers and retain only those with the financial and technical capacity to deliver results.
Speaking on civic responsibility, Governor Sanwo-Olu also called on residents and property owners to pay their waste management bills promptly, emphasizing that efficient collection relies heavily on sustained user funding.
