Take a look at these pictures, this is the new Lagos for real,
if care is not taken, our dream of making Lagos state a smart metropolitan city
may soon become a fantasy. Almost everywhere is dirty; both mainland and
Island, you don’t have to move too far before you start perceiving the stench
of refuse pilled up at street corners, corridors, roadside and just anywhere.
Where did we get it wrong?
Sometime in July 2017, the Lagos state government restricted the
350 indigenous Incorporated Trustees Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria
popularly called PSP (Private Sector Participation) operators in partnership
with LAWMA from conducting their usual waste management business in Lagos, then
the project handled by 350 operators was officially handed over to Visionscape
Sanitation Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of Visionscape Group (a
multinational company) and ABC Solutions Limited. What this simply means is
that the Lagos state government bluntly shut down the business of 350 PSP
operators (who had been operating in Lagos terrain since over fifteen years)
then awarded the contract to some foreign investors who are just new to the
complex waste management system in Lagos.
For records, PSP operators have been in partnership with LAWMA
since 1999 during the administration of the then Lagos state governor, Bola
Ahmed Tinubu. Also, during ex-governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s tenure in
Lagos, there was a need to continue with the existing system but with a well
scrutinized and standard structure. Fashola made the system more competitive
and effective by giving award to the most efficient PSP operators and screening
the over one thousand indigenous operators that showed interest in the waste
management business to 350 operators. Those who met the requirements were
compelled by the government to get a compactor, a liaison office and garage.
Some of these operators had to get bank loan to finance these projects.
Here are some facts I will leave
you to ponder on…
· Lagos state generates 14,000 tons of waste per day but
Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited has 5,000 tons evacuation capacity.
This means that after a week (i.e. 7 days), Lagos will have 98,000 tons of
refuse requiring evacuation while Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited has
only moved 35,000 tons, leaving a balance of 63,000 tons of refuse per week.
· Lagos state needs roughly 1500 compactors to meet the daily
needs of waste management but Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited has only
50 compactors. This is probably because a new compactor costs over 70 million
naira with shipping and import duty; that means it costs about 105 billion
naira to acquire 1500 compactors. It is obvious that Visionscape Sanitation
Solutions Limited can’t afford such money yet, so that is why they have quietly
invited some PSP operators to join them.
· With PSP operators, you don’t need to take your refuse anywhere
to litter the street, all you need to do is to wait till they come once in a
week then you take it right to their truck but this current system requires you
to drop your refuse at the main/major road before the Visionscape operators
come to pick them. There are even some areas in Lagos that are not yet covered
till date.
· LAWMA’s corporate offices at Mushin, Ojodu, Oshodi, Simpson etc.
were taken from LAWMA by the government and given to a foreign company whereas
the local investors (PSP operators) were compelled to build or let their
liaison offices and garages. Some of them are still indebted to banks.
· Lagos state government has given these key environmental waste
management responsibilities to Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited:
recycling of wastes generated plant, building landfill sites, marine waste,
building transfer loading stations, building material recovery facilities,
drainage clearing and street sweeping.
Just recently, President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order
5 to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and
technology components. For those who don’t know, the Executive Order is
expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation
towards achieving the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the
economy. Owing to the authority vested in him by the constitution, the
president ordered that all ‘‘procuring authorities shall give preference to
Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public
Procurement Act 2007.’’ Basically, the idea of Lagos state government giving
preference to Visionscape Group at the detriment of our indigenous 350 PSP
operators is totally against the interest of the Executive Order 5. I see Lagos
state as a brand which needs to be effectively managed without sentiments,
greed or selfish interest or else the big dream will be nothing but fantasy.
Eko o ni baje o! I remain your brand inspector.
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