The President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Dr Olugbenga Adebola, has urged the government to create a stable policy framework to attract investment in the waste disposal sector. Speaking at an event in Lagos organised by the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria (PEWAN), Adebola stressed that policy inconsistency discourages private sector participation. "The government has no business being in business," he said. "They are built and trained to be good regulators, to provide good policy together with the private sector, and then to implement it." He argued that the private sector can bring funding and expertise, but only if there is a guaranteed return on investment.
Adebola advocated for the formalisation of the informal waste sector rather than its elimination. He highlighted the importance of the Private Sector Participant (PSP) programme, designed to collect waste from the source to prevent illegal dumping. He called for material recovery facilities in Lagos, noting the city's land constraints. Without proper sorting and recovery systems, waste ends up in drains and on highways. Adebola insisted that waste collected at the source must be transported and processed efficiently.
PEWAN's Chairperson, Mrs Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie, reiterated the need for modern waste treatment facilities, smart bins, and stronger community partnerships. She called for improved budgeting and stricter enforcement of waste policies.
Dr Olugbenga Adebola's insistence on policy stability cuts to the core of Nigeria's failed public service delivery: the state's chronic overreach and underperformance in sectors better suited to private hands. His blunt statement that "the government has no business being in business" exposes a systemic flaw where political control trumps functional efficiency, particularly in urban waste management where Lagos alone generates over 13,000 tonnes daily.
The call for formalising the informal sector and creating material recovery facilities is not just technical advice—it reflects the reality that thousands of informal waste pickers already operate without recognition or infrastructure. Adebola's reference to the PSP programme reveals an existing framework starved of policy continuity. When he says investors fear a "bottomless pit," he is describing Nigeria's broader investment climate, where shifting regulations and weak enforcement scare off capital even in high-need sectors.
For Lagos residents drowning in uncollected waste, this debate is about liveability. Poor waste management fuels flooding, disease, and traffic—directly impacting low-income communities near dumpsites and blocked drains. Without formalised systems, informal workers remain vulnerable and invisible.
This is not an isolated waste crisis but a pattern of governance that prefers ad hoc interventions over structural reform. From power to water, the state resists enabling roles, clinging to operational control it cannot sustain.
