LAGOS IS DIRTY — SO WHY IS COMMISSIONER WAHAAB TOKUNBO DEFENDING THE NARRATIVE INSTEAD OF CONFRONTING THE ROT?
The response from Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Wahaab Tokunbo, to criticism over the filthy condition of parts of Mushin raises a bigger question than whether the particular video circulated online is old.
Is Lagos clean?
That is the question.
And it cannot be answered by simply declaring a viral video “outdated” or blaming residents for refusing to pay PSP operators.
Yes, if the video was recorded before the area was cleared, that should be stated. But clearing one location does not erase Lagos’ wider sanitation crisis.
Across the metropolis, Lagosians continue to complain about overflowing refuse points, indiscriminate dumping, blocked drainage channels, filthy markets, refuse-lined streets and the persistent failure of waste management to keep pace with the city’s explosive population.
So, Commissioner, where exactly is the misinformation?
Is it misinformation to show a dirty street when it is actually dirty?
Is it misinformation for Lagosians to complain when refuse is not evacuated?
Is it misinformation to question LAWMA’s effectiveness when residents say waste accumulates in their neighbourhoods?
Or has the government become more interested in disputing the pictures than fixing the problems those pictures expose?
The Commissioner’s argument that some residents are unwilling to pay PSP operators also deserves scrutiny.
If residents refuse to pay, what is the government’s enforcement strategy?
What happens to communities where PSP operators fail to provide reliable service?
How many PSP operators have been sanctioned for poor performance?
How often does LAWMA independently inspect collection routes?
How many complaints are received from residents, and how many are actually resolved?
What is the current volume of waste generated daily across Lagos, and what percentage is evacuated within the required timeframe?
How much does Lagos State spend annually on waste management?
And most importantly, can the government provide verifiable data showing that its waste-management system is delivering the clean Lagos it repeatedly advertises?
These are not attacks.
They are basic accountability questions.
Nobody expects Lagos to be spotless every minute of every day. It is one of Africa’s largest and most densely populated urban centres. But that reality makes an efficient waste-management system even more necessary—not less.
The government cannot celebrate the clearing of a refuse dump today and use it as evidence that the entire sanitation system is working perfectly.
A clean-up exercise is not the same thing as a clean city.
And this is where the Commissioner’s response appears to miss the point.
The Press Nigeria does not need an old video to make Lagos look bad.
If Lagos is clean, Lagos should be able to speak for itself.
Let LAWMA publish its performance figures. Let the Ministry open its books on waste-management spending. Let the government publish the number of PSP operators, collection routes, complaints received, enforcement actions taken and communities currently facing waste-collection challenges.
Then Nigerians can judge.
But telling journalists and citizens to stop highlighting unpleasant realities because such reports “project Lagos and Nigeria negatively” is not the answer.
The dirt does not disappear because somebody stops filming it.
Lagos does not need propaganda.
It needs accountability, functioning waste collection, effective enforcement and a sanitation system capable of matching the size of the city.
Commissioner Wahaab Tokunbo should therefore not merely tell critics to verify their videos.
He should show Lagosians the figures.
Because the question remains:
IS LAGOS REALLY CLEAN — OR ARE WE SIMPLY GETTING BETTER AT PACKAGING THE DIRT?
The Press Nigeria
