The Lagos State Government has crushed not less than 400 carts seized from pushers and owners for contravening environmental laws across the state.
The Managing Director/CEO, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Ibrahim Odumboni disclosed this at the Ogudu facility, on Monday, noting that cart pushers posed a threat not only to environmental sustainability but to the security of residents.
Odumboni stated that the exercise would be a continuous one as it became necessary to weaken the ability of the cart pushers and to decimate the cart population defacing the state.
He stressed that the activities of cart pushers, who serially dump waste at unauthorized locations across the Lagos metropolis would remain banned and that their activities across the state posed environmental threat to residents.
He said that many cart pushers harbor dangerous weapons like knives, machetes, and others, to perpetrate criminal activities.
In a statement released by the agency’s Director, Public Affairs, Folashade Kadiri, the LAWMA boss disclosed that opportunity was open for repentant cart-pushers, to step forward, get registered with LAWMA, given proper orientation, and trained as pickers and off-takers of recyclables, working hand in hand with other stakeholders in the waste management chain.
According to the statement: “Cart pushers are about the biggest threat to our effort at attaining environmental sustainability. We will not allow anyone or a group of persons to derail the ongoing efforts to make the environment better. Criminal elements have hidden under this guise to carry out heinous crimes. If there are no carts to push, they will get other jobs.
“They pose as much threat to the environment as to the security of the citizens. It will shock you to know that many of them keep weapons like knives, machetes, etc. in their carts to attack and dispossess unsuspecting persons when the opportunity presents itself.
” One of such cart pusher was tried and jailed last week, having been apprehended at Victoria Island, vandalizing and stealing government’s iron rods. There have been many reported cases of theft of movable items from people’s compounds traced to them”.
Odumboni emphasized that government was not interested in taking away their means of livelihood, which however has to be within the confines of the law.
The LAWMA boss further assured Lagosians of the agency’s total commitment towards ensuring that the State remains an environment- friendly one.
She further urged residents to join the Authority’s quest for a cleaner Lagos by shunning improper waste disposal, paying their waste bill’s and patronizing assigned PSP operators.
