Lagos Streets and Bus Stops Overflow with Rubbish as Waste Collection Struggles

Rubbish keeps piling up on streets, road medians, and bus stops all over Lagos, even with the government trying to improve waste collection. PREMIUM TIMES has seen this situation firsthand.

At MITV Bus Stop, close to the Lagos State Government Secretariat, you can find nylons, plastic bottles, and household waste scattered everywhere. This area is supposed to serve passengers.

At the MITV Bus Stop, near the Lagos State Government Secretariat, nylons, plastic bottles and household waste littered the facility.

A similar situation was observed at Iyana Oworo Bus Stop, where corn husks, nylons and plastic bottles littered the area around the facility.

On Alli Street, beside Tinubu Square on Lagos Island, PREMIUM TIMES observed nylons, plastic bottles, household waste and rotting fruits dumped in front of business premises.

The rubbish has been there for over a month, making the area smell bad.

These discoveries come a few weeks after PREMIUM TIMES reported on how piles of waste have taken over roads, markets, and residential areas in Lagos. The report showed that residents are unhappy about the irregular waste collection and how public spaces are being used as dumping sites.

In June, Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, apologised to the people for the waste management issues. He admitted that the government has struggled to handle the problem.

“We had a challenge and we are fixing it,” Mr Wahab said.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu later ordered more waste evacuation across the state.

“LAWMA, LASEPA, and the Ministry of Environment are currently working around the clock,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said in a statement on his social media.

“We have deployed extra trucks and personnel to clear the backlogs across all affected neighbourhoods. You should already see progress on the streets and we will not stop until our city is completely clean again,” the governor announced in a Facebook post.

But the latest findings by PREMIUM TIMES show that rubbish is still piling up in parts of Lagos, despite the government's clean-up efforts and promises to improve waste collection.