Imagine a landmark known not for its beauty, but for its burden. For decades, the Olusosun dumpsite in Lagos has been just that—a towering symbol of the city’s waste woes. But now, the state government is turning a page, announcing a bold, 18-month plan to finally close the chapter on Olusosun and other aging dumpsites, promising a cleaner, more sustainable future for Africa’s most populous city.
The clock is ticking for one of Lagos’s most notorious landmarks. The Lagos State Government has set an 18-month deadline to begin decommissioning the vast Olusosun dumpsite and other legacy landfills that have long strained the city’s environment and infrastructure.
The announcement came from the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, during a routine inspection of the sites. He framed the move not merely as a cleanup, but as a fundamental shift in philosophy.
"We are moving from a linear waste management system to environmentally friendly and sustainable ways, where waste is now seen as a resource," Wahab told journalists. The goal, he emphasized, is to ensure that new landfill facilities in Epe, Badagry, and Ikorodu avoid the fate of their predecessors. "The quantity of waste that will end up at the landfills will be minimal."
The plan hinges on a partnership with Zoom Lion, a waste-to-wealth project operator. Their first task: establishing a Material Recovery Facility to begin processing the mountain of waste at Olusosun. This "capping" process, Wahab assured, will follow global standards, transforming the site from an active dump into a managed, closed facility.
But a transition of this scale requires more than just engineering. The government is also laying the groundwork—quite literally—by planning alternative exit roads to ease the notorious traffic of waste collection vehicles. Security assessments of individuals operating around the dumpsites are also underway.
The human element of this ecosystem was voiced by Emeka Nweke, a resident near the Igando dumpsite. His appeal to the government cut to the daily realities: fix the damaged roads and stop the indiscriminate parking of waste trucks that turn commutes into hazards.
For Lagosians who have lived in the shadow—and sometimes the smell—of these dumping grounds, the 18-month timeline offers a tangible finish line. It’s a promise that the city’s skyline will one day be defined by ambition, not by its refuse.
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