Lagos generates gas, electricity at Ojota waste dump site -LAWMA
Managing Director of Lagos State Waste Management Authority, (LAWMA), Mr. Ola Oresanya yesterday revealed that his agency was already generating gas and electricity at its dump site in Ojota, a feat he said his agency was first to accomplish in Africa. Oresanya also revealed that the dump site in Ojota had been registered under the United Nations carbon credit programme and would soon begin to receive carbon credit from the world body.
He said by these accomplishments, his organisation had succeeded in enthroning the dump site as the Number One in Africa, and registered as the first from the sub continent on the profile of the UN carbon credit project on the internet. According to Mr. Oresanya, these feats were just two out of the many milestones LAWMA recorded in the recent past.
He was speaking in Apapa during a courtesy visit to the Management of Sun Publishing Co. Limited on its 10th anniversary celebration. He stated that LAWMA had been able to achieve just half of its proposed 15-year roadmap drawn up to transform Lagos into a clean, mega city. He explained that LAWMA had developed a 15-year roadmap (2005-2020) had gone half-way in achieving the goals it set out to achieve in the roadmap.
'And we believe that we owe the stakeholders information on what we have done.' 'LAWMA had many investors in that regard who bought 500 specialised trucks, used to collect wastes from households. The government has also provided 100 PSPs for the exercise and one thing that is very important is that every neighbourhood in Lagos has a PSP that serves it. So whatever is being charged for waste collection now has already been subsidised by the Lagos State government. 'Second is the cleaning of the major highways.
Our highways are getting cleaner and more beautiful, courtesy of our efforts. Many of the spots hitherto used as refuse dumps had been converted to relaxation parks. Many of the clustered parts have been de-clustered for proper hygiene, Oshodi for example. Presently, we have more than 10,000 workers while the street sweepers are up to 13,000 workers sweeping the streets. We are trying to add 25,000 more workers to that number.
What that means is that we have one worker serving about 20 people in every given area in the state, meaning that our impact is being felt by millions of residents of the state. So, we have been ensuring that waste management is used for social reforms, as it has been getting people employed and empowered economically. For instance, the Olusosun dump site in Ojota, which is our biggest storage now, has been registered under the United Nations carbon credit programme and we would start to receive the carbon credit from them very soon.
Olusosun is registered as the first from the sub Saharan Africa on the profile of the UN carbon credit project on the internet. 'We have also been able to generate gas from the wastes which is also giving us power and the first phase of that has been successful is the market project. We have a demonstration site where we have used the gas to generate electricity for the market. We have succeeded in converting the waste in the market to electricity for the market and we would be replicating that in all the markets in the state.
'The third phase of our roadmap is the transfer-loading stations and we are working towards having 20 of those loading stations. We have two already. And we have been inviting private investors to invest in the stations. With 20 of the stations, we could be generating 50 mega watts of power and this is what we plan for Lagos in the future. And now we have the biggest station for converting wastes to energy in Africa.
It is in Ikorodu. And it is only Lagos State that has succeeded in registering the project under the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) among all other states.' He said LAWMA will launch a campaign to involve all and sundry to maintain clean environment just as residents of the state have been tasked to pick up sachet water waste for a few. He enjoined residents to contact LAWMA each time they have complaints using the contacts on the bill usually sent to them. The LAWMA boss praised The Sun for 'being the first newspaper that published a comprehensive report on our Lagos agenda. That was way back in 2006 when people didn't believe Lagos could be clean.
We believe this is a newspaper that believes so much in us and we owe you a duty to explain to you what we have done so far. 'We are also here to identify with you on the occasion of your 10th anniversary. It is a decade of hard work and excellence and you are still doing well,' he said. Responding, the Deputy Managing Director of The Sun Publishing Co. Ltd Mr Femi Adesina thanked the LAWMA team for finding time to visit the organisation.
He noted that 'The Sun newspaper is a veritable platform upon which LAWMA can project its image as its reach has gone global. This followed recent expansion in circulation made possible by simultaneous printing of the paper in all the six-geo political zones of the country and an upgrade of its website on the internet.'