{"id":20113,"date":"2026-08-02T01:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T01:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/inside-lagos-waste-flood-crisis-are-local-governments-pulling-their-weight\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T01:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T01:57:00","slug":"inside-lagos-waste-flood-crisis-are-local-governments-pulling-their-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/inside-lagos-waste-flood-crisis-are-local-governments-pulling-their-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Inside<\/div>

Inside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight?, <\/p>\n

\u2022Residents battle council chairmen\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

By Olasunkanmi Akoni,\u00a0Esther Onyegbula, Juliet Umeh & Cynthia Alo<\/strong><\/p>\n

As mountains of refuse continue to\u00a0dot major roads, markets and\u00a0residential communities across\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lagos, while floods repeatedly submerge neighbourhoods after heavy rainfall, a fundamental question is increasingly being asked by residents: If the 57 Local Government Areas, LGAs, and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, receive monthly statutory allocations, why has waste management and drainage maintenance become a challenge?<\/p>\n

The question has gained urgency in recent months as the state battles one of its worst waste disposal challenges in years.<\/p>\n

Across several parts of the metropolis, refuse remain uncollected for days and, in some locations, weeks, leaving overflowing bins spilling onto roads and drainage channels.<\/p>\n

At the same time, flash floods have become more frequent, disrupting businesses, destroying property and worsening traffic congestion.<\/p>\n

While the Lagos State government has consistently insisted that indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains remains a major contributor to flooding, many residents argued that LGAs and LCDAs have not done enough to prevent such practices or complement the state\u2019s intervention through regular refuse evacuation, environmental sanitation, enforcement and drainage clearing.<\/p>\n

Councils<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0The debate has reopened discussions about the constitutional responsibilities of local governments and whether councils have gradually abdicated critical environmental duties despite receiving regular allocations from the Federation Account.<\/p>\n

Specifically, under Nigeria\u2019s constitutional framework, local governments are expected to participate actively in environmental sanitation, waste management, public health and the maintenance of local infrastructure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Lagos\u00a0 established agencies such as the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources to coordinate statewide environmental policies, experts believe the effectiveness of these agencies depends significantly on cooperation from councils closest to the people.<\/p>\n

This is based on the belief that local governments possess the grassroots structures capable of monitoring refuse disposal, maintaining inner roads and drainage systems, educating residents and enforcing environmental regulations within communities.<\/p>\n

But Sunday Vanguard observed that, instead, many residents complained that councils have become largely invisible in these responsibilities, leaving the state government to shoulder an enormous burden in a city whose population continues to grow rapidly.<\/p>\n

Drainage<\/strong><\/p>\n

The consequences, according to findings by Sunday Vanguard, are visible across Lagos.<\/p>\n

In parts of Ajegunle, Agege, Mushin, Oshodi, Iyana Ipaja, Aboru, Alimosho, Ikotun, Egbeda, Iyana Isolo, Mile 2, Amuwo Odofin, Ajah, Ikota, Sangotedo, Lekki, Chevron Drive, Agungi, Ikoyi, Bariga, Ketu, Ikorodu, Ijegun, Ojo, Badagry and several riverine communities, among others, residents regularly contend with blocked drainage channels overflowing with plastic bottles, food waste, nylon bags and other solid waste.<\/p>\n

During periods of heavy rainfall, these clogged drains frequently force water onto roads and into homes, causing avoidable flooding that could have been mitigated through routine maintenance and effective waste evacuation.<\/p>\n

Commercial centres and major markets are not left out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around some markets, heaps of refuse often accumulate close to drainage channels, with traders and residents blaming irregular evacuation and poor monitoring.<\/p>\n

According to residents, the situation worsens after rainfall when waste already dumped in canals is washed into larger drainage systems, reducing their carrying capacity and causing floodwaters to back up into adjoining streets.<\/p>\n

Indiscriminate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Successive administrations in Lagos have consistently linked flooding to poor waste disposal habits.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, attributed persistent flooding in many parts of Lagos to indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels and the obstruction of canals.<\/p>\n

Wahab repeatedly warned that refuse dumped into drains eventually blocks the free flow of stormwater, making communities vulnerable during heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n

The commissioner also appealed to residents to stop using drainage channels as refuse dumps, stressing that government alone cannot solve the flooding challenge without public cooperation.<\/p>\n

In June, following widespread criticism over mounting refuse across parts of the state, Wahab acknowledged the temporary disruption in waste evacuation, apologised to residents for the inconvenience and assured Lagosians that measures were being implemented to restore normal waste collection.<\/p>\n

He, however, maintained that residents must equally refrain from dumping refuse into drainage systems, insisting that such practices continue to worsen flooding during the rainy season.<\/p>\n

Canals<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Several local governments, including Kosofe, have also blamed indiscriminate waste disposal by residents for recurring flooding within their jurisdictions, urging citizens to desist from dumping refuse into canals and drainage channels.<\/p>\n

While environmental experts agree that residents must change their attitude towards waste disposal, they insist that behaviour alone does not explain the current crisis.<\/p>\n

They argue that where refuse is evacuated promptly, drains are cleared regularly and environmental officers maintain a visible presence, the temptation to dump waste indiscriminately is considerably reduced.<\/p>\n

According to them, effective environmental management requires constant engagement between councils and residents, not merely enforcement after flooding has occurred.<\/p>\n

Urban planners say local governments should maintain routine schedules for clearing secondary drains before the rainy season, identify illegal refuse dumps early and partner with Community Development Associations, CDAs, to monitor environmental compliance.<\/p>\n

Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0The recurring environmental crisis has also revived scrutiny over the utilisation of local government allocations.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, councils receive monthly statutory allocations alongside internally generated revenue in varying amounts.<\/p>\n

But many believe these allocations hardly translate into improved governance at the grassroots.<\/p>\n

Critics argued that if every council devoted substantial resources to refuse evacuation, drain desilting, environmental education and sanitation enforcement, the burden currently borne by the state government would reduce significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the local governments doing? In functional societies, refuse disposal should be the responsibility of local governments, which are closer to the people than the state government. Rather than appearing only during sanitation exercises or public ceremonies, councils are expected to become visible actors in refuse evacuation, drainage maintenance, public enlightenment and environmental enforcement,\u201d Bolu Olorunfemi, a resident of Agege, said.<\/p>\n

Another Lagosian, Mr. Nelson Ekujumi, a resident of Ogba and a human rights activist, said authorities at the grassroots had abdicated their responsibilities, especially in the area of environmental sanitation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Refuse management<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ekujumi said: \u201cIt\u2019s rather unfortunate that the local government councils are not responsible enough to recognise that if there is an outbreak of an epidemic, they will be held responsible for allowing the refuse menace to remain unattended to under their watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local government councils have abdicated the responsibility for refuse management and flood control to the state government as though they have no responsibility for the welfare of people at the grassroots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local government councils need to be woken up from their slumber in order to take up the functions of refuse management and flood control within their jurisdictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough we recognise that refuse management has been privatised, the menace of refuse littering every nook and cranny of the state is an emergency that requires an emergency response from the local government councils with their huge financial capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local government councils need to upscale awareness and sensitisation of the citizenry on flood prevention measures and also ensure that their environmental departments clear drainage channels in their localities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also speaking, Godspower Tombia, who resides in Mushin, acknowledged that some Lagosians dispose of waste in drains, especially in his area. However, he blamed the authorities for allowing the practice to persist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to Lagos in 1997 and met this culture of people dumping their waste on the roads and, in some cases, into drainage channels. The habit continued because government allowed it. Who is bigger than government? Local governments can tackle that efficiently without depending entirely on the state government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Continuing, Tombia added:\u201dGovernment at all levels must create conditions that encourage responsible waste disposal. \u201cAccessible refuse collection points, timely evacuation, functional drainage systems and sustained environmental education are as essential as enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this issue, accountability should extend beyond residents to elected council officials charged with maintaining healthy communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chairmen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since local governments maintain closer interaction with neighbourhoods and understand the peculiar environmental challenges within each ward, residents want regular engagement with council authorities on environmental issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegular inspections by environmental officers, stricter monitoring of illegal refuse dumping, community sensitisation campaigns, provision of refuse collection points and enforcement of sanitation by-laws should be driven principally by councils. Chairmen should hold periodic town hall meetings to discuss environmental challenges unique to their communities rather than waiting until refuse accumulates or flooding occurs,\u201d Mr. Jim Odutayo, a resident of Agungi, said.<\/p>\n

However, contrary to the observations of many residents, some local government officials told Sunday Vanguard that environmental management has always been a priority for their administrations.<\/p>\n

They disclosed that, as the environmental crisis grows more complex, councils are increasingly deploying a combination of equipment, personnel, enforcement, public sensitisation and direct financial intervention to tackle the problems.<\/p>\n

In Apapa Iganmu LCDA, where the drainage network is linked to wider water systems serving several communities, the council said it had gone as far as renting a heavy swamp buggy to dredge a major canal.<\/p>\n

In Badagry Local Government, the council said it had combined waste collection equipment with a Waste Police Unit and flood-prone community assessments.<\/p>\n

In Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, the administration said it had procured compactors for all nine wards, while the council leadership had continued to encourage residents to make sanitation a daily habit rather than a periodic exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Prevention\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0In Ojodu LCDA, regular desilting of drainage channels and gutters has become a recurring exercise, according to the council.<\/p>\n

Ayodele Olalere, Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Segun\u00a0 Odunmbaku, said the council had adopted regular drainage maintenance as a key component of its flood prevention strategy.<\/p>\n

Olalere said Ojodu carries out desilting operations regularly, while personnel are deployed to clear gutters and drainage channels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do in Ojodu LCDA is that, at least, every month we desilt the drainage channels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that the chairman had also ensured residents participated in the monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise recently reintroduced by the state government.<\/p>\n

According to him, the council also ensures that drainage channels and gutters are cleared every weekend by personnel employed specifically for the task.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, we make sure that every weekend, the gutters and drainage channels are cleared. There are people employed to do that. They desilt all the drainage channels and gutters,\u201d Olalere said.<\/p>\n

On the situation in Badagry, the Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Babatunde Hunpe, said the council had continued to prioritise environmental sustainability despite the limited resources available to local governments.<\/p>\n

Under his administration, Sunday Vanguard learnt that the council had procured waste collection tricycles to improve refuse evacuation and established a Waste Police Unit to enforce environmental compliance.<\/p>\n

The council has also intensified public sensitisation to encourage residents to comply with the reintroduced monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise and take ownership of their surroundings.<\/p>\n

It was also gathered that the council conducts a dedicated environmental sanitation exercise every Thursday across markets and major business districts.<\/p>\n

The exercise is carried out by Environmental Health Officers in collaboration with officials of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Corps.<\/p>\n

The objective, the council said, is to improve the cleanliness of public spaces and strengthen compliance with environmental regulations.<\/p>\n

Following recent torrential rainfall, Hunpe said he also deployed a delegation to conduct on-the-spot assessments of flood-prone communities, including Boekoh, Topo, Povita, Ajido and Tako.<\/p>\n

The assessments were aimed at identifying immediate and long-term interventions required to reduce the impact of flooding on the affected communities.<\/p>\n

Hunpe said the issue was not simply about clearing waste after it had accumulated.<\/p>\n

According to him, it is about developing a system that combines waste evacuation, enforcement, public education, drainage maintenance and collaboration with relevant state agencies.<\/p>\n

Maintenance<\/p>\n

In Apapa Iganmu LCDA, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Tedunjaye Raymond, said the council had engaged the services of a heavy swamp buggy to clear a major canal within the community.<\/p>\n

The equipment, he said, was facilitated by the Chairman of Apapa Iganmu LCDA, Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu, as part of his administration\u2019s commitment to tackling environmental challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good people of Apapa Iganmu LCDA have begun to heave a sigh of relief as they woke up to witness the arrival of a heavy swamp buggy, fully deployed to commence the clearance of canals within the community,\u201d Raymond said.<\/p>\n

He explained that the canal receives wastewater from Surulere and links Apapa Iganmu to Ajegunle.<\/p>\n

A blockage or restriction along the channel, he noted, could therefore have consequences beyond one street or neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

Raymond said the chairman personally funded the intervention by renting the swamp buggy for N4 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is ordinarily the responsibility of the state government to undertake this kind of intervention, but the chairman personally invested funds to rent the swamp buggy currently carrying out the work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The machine was deployed to clear the canal from the Bale Bridge axis towards Musa Dolonwu and Moshalashi, with the operation expected to extend to the Bale axis and subsequently Gaskiya and Ajegunle.<\/p>\n

According to him, the intervention formed part of a wider environmental strategy already in place before the recent flooding.<\/p>\n

Raymond said the administration had established a monthly environmental sanitation programme across the seven wards, with councillors and council officials mobilised and funded to undertake regular desilting of drainage channels and gutters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a monthly environmental sanitation exercise across the seven wards where councillors and officials are adequately mobilised with funds to ensure the desilting of drainage channels and gutters within their communities. This has become a recurrent monthly exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery last Saturday of the month, officials monitor the exercise while refuse generated at various locations is evacuated by the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Tolu<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raymond said the council\u2019s most urgent intervention came after flooding affected parts of the community.<\/p>\n

According to him, the chairman, working with an engineer from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, identified a blocked section at Tolu that had contributed to the stagnation of floodwater.<\/p>\n

The blockage, he said, was cleared overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat place was cleared overnight. It was done last Monday. Between Sunday night and Monday morning, officials cleared the debris at the Tolu Junction axis linking Kanyaland Canal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The result, according to him, was immediate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin 30 minutes, if you come to our community now, the entire area is dry. It was like magic. Immediately that axis was cleared, all the floodwater in our community drained away at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my community, the Executive Chairman is not treating environmental challenges with levity. He is tackling them head-on to ensure a safer and healthier environment,\u201d Raymond added.<\/p>\n

Also speaking to Sunday Vanguard, the Information Officer of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, Mrs. Salvador Oyinlola Kareemat, said the council procured a refuse compactor towards the last quarter of last year to manage waste generated at the secretariat, area offices and primary healthcare centres.<\/p>\n

She added that the council also engaged a service provider that deployed at least three compactors to each of the nine wards.<\/p>\n

According to Kareemat, the compactors were placed under the supervision of legislative representatives on a monthly basis to complement the efforts of Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators responsible for refuse collection and disposal.<\/p>\n

She said the council had continued to clear refuse from major highways and identified black spots, including Mobil Road and the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.<\/p>\n

According to her, the administration of the Chairman, Olalekan Akindipe, also responds regularly to flooding through the desilting of drainage channels and evacuation of waste generated during the exercise.<\/p>\n

Among the areas recently attended to were Ago Hausa Street, Achakpo, Tolu Road, Kirikiri Road, Idewu Street, College Road, Ebunotti Street, Ojoku Street and the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, including the Coconut Underbridge to Otto Wharf axis.<\/p>\n

Cleanliness<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor us in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, environmental sanitation is a daily exercise. Every Thursday, we ensure all our markets comply,\u201d Akindipe said.<\/p>\n

He said councillors had been directed to remain in their respective wards to monitor the exercise and ensure that environmental sanitation was not reduced to a symbolic event at the council headquarters.<\/p>\n

Akindipe urged residents to adopt proper waste disposal habits and make sanitation a lifestyle rather than a monthly obligation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of cleanliness cannot be overemphasised, and our government will continue to educate and inform the community about the benefits of living in a clean environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The council, however, acknowledged that some environmental challenges exceed its capacity.<\/p>\n

Akindipe appealed to the state government for assistance in clearing and evacuating debris from drainage channels along the Mile 2-Oshodi Expressway, saying the scale of the work was beyond the capacity of the local government alone.<\/p>\n

On his part, the Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Comrade Akeem Dauda, popularly known as AKOD, reaffirmed his administration\u2019s commitment to creating a cleaner, healthier and safer environment for residents after recently leading members of the council\u2019s executive on an extensive environmental sanitation exercise across key locations within the council area.<\/p>\n

Disease prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Dauda said the exercise was in line with his administration\u2019s Environmental Governance Initiative, which seeks to build a cleaner, greener, healthier and more resilient Ikeja through effective waste management, regular sanitation exercises, environmental conservation and active community participation.<\/p>\n

He stressed the importance of maintaining clean surroundings to improve public safety, enhance the aesthetics of the environment and reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.<\/p>\n

Dauda urged residents, traders and business owners to embrace proper sanitation practices and support the local government\u2019s drive towards environmental sustainability.<\/p>\n

He listed some of the council\u2019s interventions to include the clearing of more than 100 drainage channels, particularly the 32 manholes along Awolowo Way and adjoining areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have embarked on massive advocacy and enlightenment programmes across the council on the need for effective waste management. This does not come cheap. We have also desilted several blocked drainage channels as part of our flood control interventions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have acquired compactor trucks and engaged private operators to complement the efforts of LAWMA and existing Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a local government, we also conduct environmental sanitation exercises every Thursday to sustain a cleaner, healthier environment for all residents,\u201d Dauda said.<\/p>\n

Street sweepers<\/p>\n

\u00a0Also speaking, the Chairman of Conference 57, the umbrella body of all the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State, and Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Sesan Olowa, said environmental sustainability remains one of the key pillars of his administration\u2019s development agenda, tagged SHIEELD.<\/p>\n

Olowa said his administration had continued to implement initiatives aimed at promoting cleaner communities, strengthening waste management systems, improving environmental sanitation and reducing the impact of flooding through strategic interventions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy administration launched the Cleaner Ibeju-Lekki Initiative to promote environmental sanitation. As part of the programme, more than 300 street sweepers and gardeners were engaged to clean public spaces and support the council\u2019s daily sanitation efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cA compactor was also procured to strengthen waste management and environmental sanitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo improve waste collection at the community level, the administration deployed waste collection tricycles to enhance refuse evacuation, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo promote compliance with environmental regulations, the administration created and deployed Waste Police officers to monitor environmental practices, discourage indiscriminate waste disposal and strengthen the enforcement of sanitation laws across communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo improve environmental management and maintenance operations, the administration also procured a Bobcat skid-steer loader to support land clearing, site maintenance, waste handling and other field operations aimed at ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0As part of the council\u2019s response to flooding, Olowa said canal clearing, desilting and flood control interventions had been carried out in communities including Labora Owode, Irawo Owuro, Bolorunpalu, Beachwood, Bogije, Shapati, Awoyaya, Magbon Alade, Eleko, Araromi and Onosa, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy administration remains committed to initiatives that promote environmental responsibility, cleaner communities and sustainable development for present and future generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While residents acknowledge that some councils have intensified environmental interventions, many insist that the efforts remain uneven across the state.<\/p>\n

They argued that refuse continues to pile up in many communities, drainage channels remain clogged in several neighbourhoods and flooding still disrupts daily life whenever heavy rains occur.<\/p>\n

For them, the issue is no longer whether local governments have constitutional responsibilities for environmental sanitation and public health. Rather, it is whether councils are doing enough with their monthly statutory allocations to complement the efforts of the state government in keeping Nigeria\u2019s commercial capital clean, healthy and flood resilient.<\/p>\n

\u2022In part 2 of the report to be published next week, PSP operators and LAWMA tell their stories on why refuse heaps and floods remain on Lagos roads<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The post Inside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight?<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

As mountains of refuse continue to\u00a0dot major roads, markets and\u00a0residential communities across\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lagos, while floods repeatedly submerge neighbourhoods after heavy rainfall, a fundamental question is increasingly being asked…<\/p>\n

The post Inside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight?<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

, , olufemiajasa, {authorlink},, , Vanguard News, August 2, 2026, 1:57 am<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight?, \u2022Residents battle council chairmen\u00a0 By Olasunkanmi Akoni,\u00a0Esther Onyegbula, Juliet Umeh & Cynthia Alo As mountains of refuse continue to\u00a0dot major roads, markets and\u00a0residential communities across\u00a0 Lagos, while floods repeatedly submerge neighbourhoods after heavy rainfall, a fundamental question is increasingly being asked by residents: If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.vanguardngr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/waste-Lagos.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1933,8,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro-news","category-news","category-top_stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nInside Lagos waste, flood crisis: Are local governments pulling their weight? 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