Ajao Estate Residents Say No to Waste Fee Increase Amid Poor Service

Residents of Ajao Estate in Lagos are rejecting a hike in their monthly waste collection fees. They say the waste management company is raising the charges despite failing to provide proper service for months.

The residents expressed their surprise at finding notices about the new fees stuck on their doors. They described the increase as unfair, especially after experiencing four to five months of bad service.

Olu Isijola, the chairman of the estate, spoke for the residents on Thursday. He said the company has often failed to collect waste, sometimes leaving it uncollected for one to two weeks.

He added that residents have continued paying the same fee even with the poor service and questioned why they should face a price hike now.

He said, “We just saw an unexpected notice placed on our doors, announcing an increment in the monthly refuse collection fee.

“In fact, this company has been neglecting us for over four or five months. Sometimes they won’t come for a whole week or even two weeks. When they eventually come, they give excuses that they have problems somewhere.

“Now, what we are having is an increment, so we consider it unjustifiable. They were not collecting our refuse regularly, yet we still paid them. Now, we are saying no.”

The estate chairman also complained about the bad roads in the area. He said residents should not have to pay more when basic services are lacking.

“Besides the fact that the road is completely messed up, this street is in a very bad condition. We are now talking about refuse again. We are in a dilemma.

“A place so close to the airport should be an ideal place where refuse is collected at the right time, and the roads are in good condition. We are not happy.

“We demand that they should keep the fee at what we have been paying. You increase payment when you improve service. When there is no improvement in the service, you don’t just impose an increase.

“If they have their own challenges, they should not transfer those problems to us. We are really suffering here because the refuse is not being collected,” he said.

The residents criticized the company for raising the fees without consulting them first.

“As good business practice, they should have given us notice and engaged us before reviewing the charges. Not just compel us to pay. If there was competition, they wouldn’t do that,” the chairman added.

He called on the waste management company to stop the increase, improve waste collection in the estate, and talk to the residents before making such changes.

The notice seen by PUNCH Metro showed that the service provider admitted there have been issues with waste collection. They blamed this on problems with waste disposal facilities in Lagos.

In the notice titled “Marginal Tariff Review,” the company apologized for the inconsistent service in recent weeks.

“We sincerely apologize for the challenge in our service gap in the last several weeks; that service was inconsistent. This is due to the infrastructural challenge of the disposal site in Lagos,” the notice read.

The company said they had no choice but to introduce a “marginal” 33 percent increase in their fees, which adds N2,000 for flat occupants.

The notice also mentioned that the last fee review was in March 2024, when diesel sold for about N800 per litre. Now, the price is between N1,700 and N2,000 per litre.

They explained that the closure of nearby disposal sites has forced their trucks to travel far, to Ikorodu, about 53 kilometers away, or Badagry, nearly 100 kilometers away. This has raised costs for vehicle maintenance, staff wages, and other logistics.

“We seek your understanding this time to embrace this marginal increase to survive and continue to offer services seamlessly,” the notice stated.

The company added that until government disposal facilities are repaired, waste will be collected once every two weeks. They advised residents in multi-flat buildings to get more waste bins and ensure refuse is properly bagged.

Under the new rates, flat occupants will pay N8,000 monthly, wing duplexes N9,000, standard duplexes N10,000, and mini flats N5,500.

Despite the company's explanation, residents feel the increase is unfair and poorly timed.

Another resident, who goes by Clinton, also criticized the fee hike in a WhatsApp message.

He wrote, “I just noticed that LAWMA has pasted a notice of waste disposal increase from N6,000 per flat per month to N8,000.

“It is worrisome that after abandoning waste disposal since March and only being able to dispose of the waste last week, the next thing is an increment. Isn’t this insensitive enough for us to say no?

“We kept paying while they weren’t doing their jobs. No apologies, no explanations, and certainly no form of compensation. All they could do was increase the charges.”