"NURTW are NOT replacing LAGESC" — Lagos govt clarifies waste police plan after backlash

Gift Davies 11:33 - 24 June 2026

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Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab

The Lagos government says transport unions are not replacing LAGESC after backlash over plans to deputise members as “waste police” across bus stops and garages.

Key Details

Lagos says transport unions are not replacing LAGESC despite earlier "waste police" announcement.
Environment Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab says the union task force is only meant to support enforcement efforts.
The clarification follows public criticism and confusion over who has authority to enforce sanitation laws.

The Lagos State Government has issued a clarification over its decision to deputise transport union members as "waste police," following confusion and criticism over what the move actually means for the city's existing sanitation enforcement structure.

In a statement dated June 23, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, pushed back against what he described as "misinformation being circulated by some bloggers and commentators," insisting the recent engagement with NURTW and RTEAN does not replace the statutory powers of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

Transport union members at a Lagos bus stop following the state's announcement of a sanitation monitoring initiative.

"LAGESC, in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Task Force, remains the duly empowered environmental enforcement arm of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources," Wahab wrote, stressing that the union initiative is "complementary" rather than a transfer of enforcement authority.

The clarification comes just days after the Ministry of Transportation inaugurated a Special Task Force, charging transport union members with monitoring bus stops, garages, lay-bys, and major roads against indiscriminate dumping. At the time, Commissioner for Transportation Oluwaseun Osiyemi framed this move as deputising unions as "waste police."

That framing appears to be exactly what triggered the confusion Wahab is now trying to walk back, with two government ministries seemingly needing to clarify who actually holds enforcement power over the same problem.

Wahab's statement also reiterated the scale of what both initiatives are up against: illegal trading, indiscriminate refuse disposal on road medians, and unmanaged waste within transport facilities.

He maintained that the union partnership is meant to "strengthen environmental compliance" and encourage "shared responsibility," not dilute existing structures.

The bigger question, however, is one this clarification doesn't fully resolve. Can unions already flagged for tolerating shanties, unauthorised trading and poor sanitation within their own garages credibly help enforce the same standards elsewhere?

Waste collection vehicle operating in Lagos.

At the task force's inauguration, Osiyemi himself told union leaders as much, saying, "Before you can enforce discipline outside, your own garages and bus stops must be in order."

Lagosians are left with two government statements within the same week, one announcing a new enforcement partner, and another clarifying that the partner isn't really an enforcer at all. The coming days will show whether the importance of that distinction translates into cleaner streets, or simply more confusion about who's actually responsible for keeping them that way.