Ayodele Olalere
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has given reasons for the destruction of 400 carts seized from cart pushers by the agency at its Ogudu facility, saying they constitute environmental hazards to the public.
According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, the cart pushers serially dump waste at unauthorised locations across the city, in clear violation of environmental laws of the state.
He added the exercise became necessary to deter the cart pushers from returning to business, and prevent them from defacing the cityscape. He reiterated that the activities of cart pushers across the Lagos metropolis remained banned.
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Their actions, he further said, posed a threat not only to environmental sustainability but to the security of residents, as many cart pushers harbour dangerous weapons like knives, machetes and others, to perpetrate criminal activities.
He however urged the cart-pushers to register with LAWMA where they will be given proper orientation, and trained as pickers and off takers of recyclables, working hand in hand with other stakeholders in the waste management chain.
Also commenting, the president of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, AWAMN, Mr. David Oriyomi, lauded government’s constant support for the association, promising a new era of fruitful collaboration with LAWMA.
