The Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led Lagos State Government has directed the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM), otherwise known as PSP operators, to resume door-to-door evacuation of waste. Their operation was stopped several months, a development that led to poor refuse collection in some areas.
NAN reports that the government gave the directive during a meeting with the waste managers on Tuesday in Lagos. The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Tunji Bello, said in a statement that the PSP operators should go back to their various areas of operation and restore the door-to-door evacuation of waste. Bello said that the directive was in making good the government’s promise to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment.
He said that Lagos State Government had constituted a committee, headed by him, to thoroughly review the situation and design template for the restoration of the services of PSP operators. ”This move is to reassure you that we are set on a new beginning and it is to consolidate what we have achieved. Everybody must work together to restore the glory of Lagos,” the SSG said.
He said that government had appointed Mr Ola Oresanya, former General Manager of LAWMA, as a consultant to work with the state to fashion out a format for the restoration of door-to-door waste collection. Bello urged the PSP operators to be ready for work and set aside any misgivings, adding that he was in constant touch with the leadership of AWAM who had assured him of their cooperation.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, urged all stakeholders to recognise the urgent need to clear the backlog of waste in the metropolis, while a holistic solution was being worked out simultaneously.
”Being aware that PSP operators were in business to make profit and sustain employment, government therefore enjoins residents to pay for waste collection by the PSP operators,” Durosinmi-Etti said. The Chairman of AWAM, Mr Oladipo Egbeyemi, expressed appreciation to the government for the development. Egbeyemi urged for thorough situation review and provision of enabling environment for unhindered performance by members of the association.
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