On Saturday, January 13th of this year, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello read out the riot act to cart pushers and wheel barrow operators within the state. Bello on behalf of the state government declared without equivocation that the activities of these people were banned.

The SSG said the government was concerned that the activities of the cart pushers and wheel barrow operators were inimical to the environmental cleanliness of Lagos. He stated that since government had flagged off the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), it was necessary to put a stop to the wantonness of the cart pushers.

Bello maintained that investigations had shown that the cart pushers were responsible for most of the illegal dumping of waste in canals and road medians at night. “What the state government has discovered is that these people use the night to perpetrate all sorts of dastardly acts. They dump refuse indiscriminately on the medians of major roads and highways,” Bello said.

Lalasticlala Seun

Bello stated the state government was concerned that the wheel barrow operators constituted a security risk. Hear him: “ They also pose serious security threats because they use those carts to hide arms and ammunition under the guise of carrying refuse to rob unsuspecting residents.”

No well meaning citizen can fault the outright ban on the activities of the cart pushers for the Akinwunmi Ambode led government has gone to great lengths to make sure that its dream of ensuring a cleaner Lagos becomes a reality.

It was this dream that precipitated the need to fashion a new environmental management policy, which is known as the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI). With the CLI, the State Government is working towards a city that is flood free. It is also dreaming that Lagos would become one of the cleanest cities in the world. Hence, Governor Ambode in 2017 signed into law a new legislation called the Environmental Management Protection Law.

The law is to limit government’s role to waste regulation. The waste management part has been left for an environmental utility company, Visionscape Sanitation Services Limited (VSS) to handle. The VSS, a multinational company has a reputation for rendering innovative environmental solutions. It is known for using cutting-edge technologies and tools to address the environmental needs of large cities, among others. Among places that the VSS has commercial operations around the world are Dubai, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Given its reputation as a leader in the environmental utility sector and its famed technical soundness, no well meaning member of the society can fault the Lagos State Government for granting a 10-year franchise to Visionscape to handle the waste management of the state.

The contract signed by Visionscape was to initially handle the waste in residential areas. But this did not go down well with the PSP operators who had been in charge of waste management in the state. They dragged the state government to the court. The matter lasted in the court for a year until the parties in the suit reached an out-of court settlement. While the matter went on in court, the resources of Visionscape which were initially meant for collecting domestic waste had to be stretched because they were also deployed for managing commercial waste in public areas that had been abandoned by the PSPs.

Now it is a good development that the bickering has stopped. There is now a new arrangement. Old PSP operators are being absorbed into the CLI once they meet the recertification criteria to determine their functionality and performance. They are now called Waste Collectors (WCOs) and Lagos State now has over 400 approved waste collection operators. They will concentrate on collecting commercial waste from schools, churches, industries, hospitals and other businesses, while Visionscape will focus on residential waste collection in the state.

Recently, in a published advertorial which is aimed at further cementing the cracked wall with the PSPs, Visionscape sought to incorporate PSPs by calling for Expression of Interest (EOI)) for the short haul transportation of municipal solid waste within Lagos state.

According to the advertorial, the scope of activities will include the transportation of municipal solid waste from the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and commercial markets across the state to designated transfer loading stations and landfills.

To underscore the readiness of Visionscape to fulfill its mandate, its CEO, John Irvine, in a recent interview granted a national newspaper articulated a roadmap at the end of which he said Lagos residents would be able to appreciate the CLI initiative fully.

“In the (waste management) industry, this period is usually 18 months and it has stages which include mobilisation which is for 3-4 months, stabilisation (3-4 months) and the augmentation (3-4 months)”. He assured the people that his company, working with other stakeholders, would rid Lagos of waste, positing that usually in the first cycle which is the stage Lagos is at the moment, service delivery takes longer because of the integration stage.

He assured that VSS had developed coherent education plan which would promote waste management education among residents in Lagos State.

He said the company had already started visiting schools to enlighten students about recycling, and segregation of wastes.

Irvine further stated that, “In line with the CLI framework, wastes gathered by the community sanitation workers will be segregated, recycled and sent away and will be made into brushes, shovels and bins to come back into the state to be used in the environment.

Now that it appears that both the Visionscape and the PSPs are ready to work together for the progress of CLI, the cart pushers are obviously undermining the programme. Despite the announcement of the ban on their activities, they still indulge in the dumping of wastes on medians, canals, streets and roads. In spite of the ban by the government, they are still ubiquitous, inflicting untold havoc on the environment.

It is therefore time for the Lagos State Government to spare no effort in stemming this evil tide. The Ambode administration has achieved a lot in the sectors of education, infrastructure, health, culture, and among others. It is time for the government to go all out against all interest groups sabotaging the CLI so that the efforts of Lagos State Government, Visionscape and other stakeholders to turn Lagos into one of the cleanest cities in the world will yield the desired results faster than envisaged.

While government has already arrested and prosecuted some environmental pollutants, the time could not be more auspicious than now for government to enforce its laws by arresting and prosecuting many of those who undermine laudable programmes such as the CLI. This menace must be put to an end quickly.


Story by Paul Dada

This is a great initiative and I'm seeing CleanerLagos works in my environment. Thank you Lagos state government for this.

So far, I've been seen cleaner Lagos sweepers and visionscape buses all around Lagos... I don't understand why people can't support them... Sometimes we are our own problem...this shouldn't discourage the government though... They should keep up with the good work they've started

The Cleaner Lagos workers are being seen around Lagos, doing their job. It is hoped that the government will achieve more with the cooperation of the citizens

This is a wonderful initiative and a good opportunity for Lagosians to improve on their cleanliness.
Keep doing the good work

This is a laudable initiative, I hope Lagosians would be supportive by adopting a responsible waste disposal culture.

It's really sad that some people just decided to sabotage this laudable project by the Lagos State government which is for the good of everyone. The Cleaner Lagos initiative has really been a good one and every lagosian must support this great initiative.

First they should reach to every street in lagos and then try to finish menac of cart pusher.
If not for cart pusher my house will be garbage dumb.
Have u ever passed mushin isolo road at juntion any time of day half road is covered by garbage and other half by people.
Nonsense first get system in place and get required number of people.
Better if they can involve cart pusher and collect garbage from every street and let them bring to designated point for disposal by visionscape.
I stay in ajao estate and have not seen a single garbage bin place by visionscape in that area on any road side or near any junction. Peolle still depend on cart pusher

Cleaning Lagos right now may be an uphill task, but surely Lagos will be the cleanest City in Africa. CleanerLagos will achieve this �

The way the Lagos state government is devising all possible means to make sure lagos state becomes clean again is commendable. Kudos! Hopefully lagosians will cooperate with the government and Lagos will be clean again


tolaphoenix post=65164403]On Saturday, January 13th of this year, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello read out the riot act to cart pushers and wheel barrow operators within the state. Bello on behalf of the state government declared without equivocation that the activities of these people were banned.

The SSG said the government was concerned that the activities of the cart pushers and wheel barrow operators were inimical to the environmental cleanliness of Lagos. He stated that since government had flagged off the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), it was necessary to put a stop to the wantonness of the cart pushers.

Bello maintained that investigations had shown that the cart pushers were responsible for most of the illegal dumping of waste in canals and road medians at night. “What the state government has discovered is that these people use the night to perpetrate all sorts of dastardly acts. They dump refuse indiscriminately on the medians of major roads and highways,” Bello said.

Lalasticlala Seun

Bello stated the state government was concerned that the wheel barrow operators constituted a security risk. Hear him: “ They also pose serious security threats because they use those carts to hide arms and ammunition under the guise of carrying refuse to rob unsuspecting residents.”

No well meaning citizen can fault the outright ban on the activities of the cart pushers for the Akinwunmi Ambode led government has gone to great lengths to make sure that its dream of ensuring a cleaner Lagos becomes a reality.

It was this dream that precipitated the need to fashion a new environmental management policy, which is known as the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI). With the CLI, the State Government is working towards a city that is flood free. It is also dreaming that Lagos would become one of the cleanest cities in the world. Hence, Governor Ambode in 2017 signed into law a new legislation called the Environmental Management Protection Law.

The law is to limit government’s role to waste regulation. The waste management part has been left for an environmental utility company, Visionscape Sanitation Services Limited (VSS) to handle. The VSS, a multinational company has a reputation for rendering innovative environmental solutions. It is known for using cutting-edge technologies and tools to address the environmental needs of large cities, among others. Among places that the VSS has commercial operations around the world are Dubai, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Given its reputation as a leader in the environmental utility sector and its famed technical soundness, no well meaning member of the society can fault the Lagos State Government for granting a 10-year franchise to Visionscape to handle the waste management of the state.

The contract signed by Visionscape was to initially handle the waste in residential areas. But this did not go down well with the PSP operators who had been in charge of waste management in the state. They dragged the state government to the court. The matter lasted in the court for a year until the parties in the suit reached an out-of court settlement. While the matter went on in court, the resources of Visionscape which were initially meant for collecting domestic waste had to be stretched because they were also deployed for managing commercial waste in public areas that had been abandoned by the PSPs.

Now it is a good development that the bickering has stopped. There is now a new arrangement. Old PSP operators are being absorbed into the CLI once they meet the recertification criteria to determine their functionality and performance. They are now called Waste Collectors (WCOs) and Lagos State now has over 400 approved waste collection operators. They will concentrate on collecting commercial waste from schools, churches, industries, hospitals and other businesses, while Visionscape will focus on residential waste collection in the state.

Recently, in a published advertorial which is aimed at further cementing the cracked wall with the PSPs, Visionscape sought to incorporate PSPs by calling for Expression of Interest (EOI)) for the short haul transportation of municipal solid waste within Lagos state.

According to the advertorial, the scope of activities will include the transportation of municipal solid waste from the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and commercial markets across the state to designated transfer loading stations and landfills.

To underscore the readiness of Visionscape to fulfill its mandate, its CEO, John Irvine, in a recent interview granted a national newspaper articulated a roadmap at the end of which he said Lagos residents would be able to appreciate the CLI initiative fully.

“In the (waste management) industry, this period is usually 18 months and it has stages which include mobilisation which is for 3-4 months, stabilisation (3-4 months) and the augmentation (3-4 months)”. He assured the people that his company, working with other stakeholders, would rid Lagos of waste, positing that usually in the first cycle which is the stage Lagos is at the moment, service delivery takes longer because of the integration stage.

He assured that VSS had developed coherent education plan which would promote waste management education among residents in Lagos State.

He said the company had already started visiting schools to enlighten students about recycling, and segregation of wastes.

Irvine further stated that, “In line with the CLI framework, wastes gathered by the community sanitation workers will be segregated, recycled and sent away and will be made into brushes, shovels and bins to come back into the state to be used in the environment.

Now that it appears that both the Visionscape and the PSPs are ready to work together for the progress of CLI, the cart pushers are obviously undermining the programme. Despite the announcement of the ban on their activities, they still indulge in the dumping of wastes on medians, canals, streets and roads. In spite of the ban by the government, they are still ubiquitous, inflicting untold havoc on the environment.

It is therefore time for the Lagos State Government to spare no effort in stemming this evil tide. The Ambode administration has achieved a lot in the sectors of education, infrastructure, health, culture, and among others. It is time for the government to go all out against all interest groups sabotaging the CLI so that the efforts of Lagos State Government, Visionscape and other stakeholders to turn Lagos into one of the cleanest cities in the world will yield the desired results faster than envisaged.

While government has already arrested and prosecuted some environmental pollutants, the time could not be more auspicious than now for government to enforce its laws by arresting and prosecuting many of those who undermine laudable programmes such as the CLI. This menace must be put to an end quickly.


Story by Paul Dada[/quote].

CleanerLagos is a great initiative and everyone in the state needs to support it.

pat1612:
First they should reach to every street in lagos and then try to finish menac of cart pusher.
If not for cart pusher my house will be garbage dumb.
Have u ever passed mushin isolo road at juntion any time of day half road is covered by garbage and other half by people.
Nonsense first get system in place and get required number of people.
Better if they can involve cart pusher and collect garbage from every street and let them bring to designated point for disposal by visionscape.
I stay in ajao estate and have not seen a single garbage bin place by visionscape in that area on any road side or near any junction. Peolle still depend on cart pusher

see this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmaHW9cw2Q