Lagos Waste Reporter

The Lagos Waste Management Authority has warned residents against attacking or obstructing its enforcement officers during environmental sanitation and waste management operations across the state. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, issued the warning on Friday following reports that some personnel were threatened and assaulted while carrying out routine enforcement duties. “I am compelled to warn, in the strongest terms, against any attempt to attack, harass, intimidate, or obstruct LAWMA enforcement officers while they carry out their lawful duties across Lagos State,” Gbadegesin said in a post on X on Friday. He described the recent incidents as disturbing and unacceptable, noting that enforcement officers were not deployed to provoke conflict. “Over the past few days, we have recorded disturbing incidents in which some of our personnel were threatened and, in a few cases, assaulted during routine enforcement of env...

Why Do People Continue to Glamourize MAKOKO? Makoko is often referred to as the "Venice of Africa", however, lacking the infrastructure to support such density, it teeters on the brink of a significant ecological and public health crisis, between a vibrant community and catastrophe. If the government opts not to relocate residents or fails to regenerate the area, the risks become systemic for Lagos, extending beyond local concerns. 1. Public Health: An Ongoing Epidemic Threat Makoko, largely constructed on stilts over the Lagos Lagoon, suffers from the absence of a formal sewage system. Consequently, the water beneath the homes functions as both waste disposal and, on occasion, a source of domestic water. Waterborne Diseases: The sanitation deficiencies render the area a constant breeding ground for cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. In a densely populated city like Lagos, an outbreak originating in Makoko can propagate rapidly to the mainland via trade ...