Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, have disagreed over the state’s handling of waste management and recurring flooding.

The exchange followed Rhodes-Vivour’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, where he raised concerns about refuse accumulation and flooding in Lagos, describing parts of the state as “stinking.”

Responding to the criticism, Wahab acknowledged that the state had experienced waste collection failures, underperforming private-sector participation operators and other operational challenges.

He, however, rejected the suggestion that the government had no strategy beyond clearing refuse after it accumulated.

“However, it is misleading to suggest that Lagos has no plan beyond clearing refuse after it accumulates,” Wahab said.

The commissioner said Lagos generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily. He added that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and private-sector operators evacuated about 418,500 tonnes of waste in May 2026, averaging approximately 13,200 tonnes per day.

Wahab explained that waste management involved several interconnected stages and that delays at disposal facilities could affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and eventually result in refuse piling up in neighbourhoods.

He said the rehabilitation of Road E and additional disposal platforms at the Olusosun landfill had improved operational efficiency, with truck movements across disposal facilities rising to 1,866 in the week following the intervention.

According to him, trips at the Olusosun landfill also increased from 574 to 1,012.

Wahab said the state was pursuing longer-term measures, including modern transfer loading stations, material recovery facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project.

He said the objective was to move away from traditional “pick-and-dump” waste management towards a system in which waste could be converted into energy and other economic resources.

The commissioner also said the government was strengthening data collection through property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data.

On the private-sector participation system, Wahab said the government was reviewing operators’ performance and would sanction or terminate those that failed to meet required standards.

He also rejected suggestions that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise was intended to replace regular waste collection.

“The monthly environmental sanitation exercise is not a substitute for an effective waste management system,” he said, adding that government had a responsibility to provide reliable services while residents and businesses must avoid indiscriminate dumping.

Rhodes-Vivour’s response

Rhodes-Vivour subsequently criticised Wahab’s response, arguing that it contained lengthy explanations without sufficient solutions to the problems facing Lagos residents.

He maintained that accumulated refuse contributed to flooding because rainfall could wash waste into drainage channels even when residents had not deliberately dumped it there.

“It might not be obvious to you and your principals, but most Lagosians and even foreigners can see it clear as day – REFUSE! GARBAGE! WASTE!” Rhodes-Vivour said.

He also questioned the adequacy of the state’s drainage and road infrastructure.

On flooding, Wahab said Lagos had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance and flood-abatement operations, while also undertaking wetland preservation and removing structures from floodplains.

He said government interventions had reduced flooding incidents by between 75 and 80 per cent across the state, although the claim was presented by the commissioner as an assessment of government interventions.

The latest disagreement comes ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election, with waste management, flooding and other environmental issues emerging as areas of political debate.

Lagos has experienced several episodes of severe flooding this year, with earlier incidents disrupting transportation, businesses and residential communities in parts of the state.

The state government has continued to link flood risks partly to blocked drainage channels and indiscriminate waste disposal, while critics have called for improvements in waste collection, drainage infrastructure and broader urban planning.

The disagreement between Wahab and Rhodes-Vivour reflects the wider debate over how Lagos should address its waste-management and flooding challenges as the 2027 election approaches.