The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) said it had collaborated with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to find lasting solution to the waste management challenge in Apapa area of the Lagos state.
The Executive Director of LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, made the disclosure during a cleanup organised by the APM Terminals in Lagos on Thursday.
Odumboni, however, stressed the need for attitudinal change among residents regarding the way they treat the environment.
He urged residents to embrace the culture of bagging of waste, a pivotal role in eliminating the challenge of indiscriminate waste dumping experienced in some parts of the metropolis.
The executive director said that stakeholders in Apapa had agreed to come together and be committed to having a sustainable solution.
This effort he said started with proper bagging of waste and patronising the assigned Private Sector Participation (PSP) operator.
Odumboni implored the populace to join hands with the present administration in the state to bequeath a healthier and cleaner environment.
He advised the people to call LAWMA toll-free line, 07080601020, to report noticed service gaps in their areas.
In her address, the NPA Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olotu, said Apapa should be a place of pride in order not to lose its cherished heritage.
He said concerned stakeholders had come together and agreed on sustainable initiatives that would restore the glory of the area.
She commended the various companies involved in the drive to clean up the environment in Apapa, noting that NPA and other stakeholders would go back to the drawing board to ensure the sustainability of the exercise.
In his remarks, the Managing Director, APM terminal, Mr Martins Jacob, said the idea of the collaboration was to raise awareness about environmental degradation and encourage sustainable waste disposal practice.
Jacob said the terminal had taken the campaign to Ogogoro village by clearing and removing plastic wastes from the shoreline.
He said that APM terminal was extending same to Apapa environment to support the government in achieving cleaner environment in the state.
The Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Mr Owolabi Adele, commended the efforts of the APM Terminal, for giving back to the community, adding that the terminal should sustain the gesture.
Adele pleaded with the terminal to support the council by sensitising the truck drivers and motor boys to put an end to indiscriminate defecation and refuse along the ports area.
He said that collaboration between state government and stakeholders would enable the state to achieve it aims of providing cleaner and healthier environment for residents.
“As I am talking to you right now, we have spent over N40 million in clearing drainage in Apapa metropolis.
“I am appealing to other stakeholders to follow the footstep of what APM terminal has done, APM terminal should do more,” Adele said.
