Written by Aramide Okunbor. Edited by Jimmy Anisulowo
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appointed Olajuwon Akinyemi as acting Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). He replaces Muyiwa Gbadegesin amid persistent complaints over the waste crisis and refuse accumulation across the state.
The appointment, confirmed by Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, is part of a wider restructuring of the agency aimed at improving service delivery. Akinyemi has been directed to assume office with immediate effect. 
The shake-up also includes the appointment of Tijani Olorunwa as acting Director of Operations. Kunle Adebiyi retains his position as Executive Director of Finance.
LAWMA waste crisis: What caused the shake-up?
The leadership change comes amid mounting complaints about uncollected refuse on roads, residential streets and drainage channels in several parts of Lagos, including Mushin, Surulere, Ikorodu, Egbeda, Apapa and Mile 2.
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The development follows Sanwo-Olu’s earlier intervention in the state’s waste management crisis. After inspecting the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, the governor reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of waste evacuation and called for urgent action.
Gbadegesin had attributed some of the challenges to the poor performance of private sector waste operators, as well as disruptions at dumpsites that affected the evacuation process. The continuing complaints, however, have raised questions about the effectiveness of the state’s waste collection and disposal arrangements.
Lagos generates an estimated 14,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. This places considerable pressure on its collection, transportation and disposal systems. The change in leadership therefore comes at a time when residents need visible improvements in sanitation, rather than administrative changes alone.
What the new leadership is expected to achieve
Under the reorganisation, officers on Salary Grade Levels 13 to 17 are to be redeployed to other parts of the Lagos State public service, including the mainstream civil service, local governments and local council development areas.
However, personnel in LAWMA’s Legal Department have been exempted from the redeployment to prevent disruptions to ongoing court cases and concession agreements. The heads of Landfill Operations, LAWMA Operations and Private Sector Participation Operations have also been granted a 90-day exemption to allow continuity during the transition.
Akinyemi’s immediate challenge, though, will be to help restore public confidence in the agency by tackling the LAWMA waste crisis and addressing the operational problems behind persistent refuse accumulation.
The restructuring has not, however, been accompanied by publicly stated targets or deadlines against which residents can measure the new management’s performance.
For communities affected by irregular waste collection, the critical questions remain how quickly accumulated refuse will be cleared, whether collection schedules will become more reliable and how the agency will ensure that private waste operators meet their obligations.
The transition also raises questions about accountability for the crisis and the safeguards that will prevent similar problems from recurring.
While the appointment signals a change in leadership, its success will ultimately depend on whether it delivers cleaner streets, more efficient waste collection and a measurable improvement in environmental sanitation across Lagos.
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