Lagos 2027: Rhodes-Vivour Blasts Hamzat Over Mounting Waste Crisis

The 2027 Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has criticised Lagos State Deputy Governor and 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, over his comments on the state’s waste generation figures.

Hamzat had said during a radio programme on Nigeria Info, Lagos, the state government had initially estimated that Lagos generated about 13,000 tonnes of waste daily but later discovered that the figure was closer to 17,000 tonnes.

“We thought that we were generating 13,000 tonnes (of waste) on daily basis. It turns out that we are generating about 17,000,” Hamzat said.

Reacting to the statement, Rhodes-Vivour described the Deputy Governor’s comments as “embarrassing”, questioning how the government could have been uncertain about the volume of waste generated in Lagos after decades in office.

“After being in government for at least 20 years, how can Mr Hamzat say, “We thought we were generating 13,000 tonnes on a daily basis’?” Rhodes-Vivour said.

He argued that the amount of waste generated in Lagos should be established through reliable data rather than estimates, noting that functioning weighbridges at landfills could provide accurate records of waste entering disposal sites.

Rhodes-Vivour specifically questioned the absence of weighbridges at Olusosun, which he described as Lagos’ largest dumpsite, and Igando.

“So how exactly are you planning and managing waste without reliable data?” he asked.

The ADC candidate also questioned whether Lagos currently has the infrastructure and capacity to evacuate and properly manage the volume of waste being generated in the state.

He cited the availability of waste trucks, transfer stations, recycling and processing facilities, properly managed landfills and modern waste-to-energy systems as areas requiring attention.

Rhodes-Vivour further called for greater transparency in the waste management system to encourage private-sector participation, while criticising what he described as APC patronage.

According to him, the state’s environmental challenges are evidence of shortcomings in planning and waste management.

He also rejected Hamzat’s reported comparison of Lagos’ waste management challenges with the situation in other African cities.

“And please, saying ‘if you go around Africa, what you see is disorganisation’ is not an excuse,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

He argued that Lagos should aspire to set the standard for urban management across Africa rather than benchmark itself against cities facing similar challenges.

“After over two decades in Alausa, Lagos should have the data, the infrastructure and the systems to know exactly how much waste we generate and how to manage it,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour said the challenge went beyond insufficient information, describing it as a problem of “poor planning, lack of accountability and a failure of imagination.”

He further criticised the APC administration’s record in Lagos, arguing that the party had failed to address the state’s waste management challenges despite more than two decades in power.

“What the APC government has lacked the imagination and political will to solve in the last 26 years, they will not solve in another 8 years,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour concluded by promising what he described as a better and more functional Lagos, saying the state should prioritise the needs of its residents.