Tuesday morning. The day before Christmas. In spite of the festive mood that pervaded Lagos, as it was in other parts of the country and beyond, Ikorodu Road enticingly stretched its iconic lanes, beckoning at vehicles to and fro. There was no traffic even at the Ojota end where the Link Bridge under construction is already kissing the spot from the Opebi end where Julius Berger started the construction.
While it is easy to take for granted the fact that the Ikorodu Road, which is arguably one of the most strategic in the state, in the realm of the Third Mainland Bridge, has for some time been without pot holes or any major damage, it was particularly clean and welcoming to the eye. It was — as it is nowadays — like what you would see in many other major areas in Lagos, thanks to the Lagos Waste Management Authority’s (LAWMA) street sweepers who, rain or shine and thick and thin, remain committed to their noble work. On the Christmas eve too, they were spotted at various points of the Ikorodu Road, donning light green overalls, picking the tiniest refuse, diligently, in spite of the scare that racing drivers might constitute. This writer’s observation, actually, is that there must be more sensitisation on the need for motorists to exercise a lot of caution and patience whenever they see the great sweepers ahead.
The improved cleanliness of Lagos roads vis-a-vis improved efficiency of the road maintainers, can be linked to some recent steps by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration. The first of such is the increment in their salaries, even before the minimum wage was raised. Announcing a 20 per cent increment then, the Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, had said, “This increase in salary and provision of work tools for the sweepers is a positive step towards improving their working conditions and ensuring they have the necessary resources to perform their duties effectively. It is also a clear indication of the government’s commitment to providing support to the hardworking sanitation workers who perform their duties to sanitise the environment.”
In a related gesture, Sanwo-Olu had, in February 2024, reached out to the LAWMA’s sanitation angels amid the hardship of fuel subsidy removal. At a programme held in Alausa government arena, he distributed food items to them to cushion the effect of the policy.
On another note, it has been acknowledged by the agency’s management that it has been receiving better attention in terms of budgeting and infrastructure. It now, for instance, commands better vehicles, unlike in the past when the automobiles (which were no more auto!) that were supposed to be ridding the state of dirt constituted more than an eyesore themselves.
Of course, the ban on Styrofoam packs by the government has done some magic. On 22f January 2024, it had announced the ban on the usage and distribution of such packs and other single-use plastics, as part of efforts to shift the food industry towards a more sustainable practices. Also, in February 2024, the Sanwo-Olu government amplified the need for sensitisation of our Food Systems’ Champions on modern ways of packaging, storage, and transportation of agro-produce.
