Waste Operators Praise Abiodun Over Appointment of New OGWAMA Boss

By Momodu Favour

Members of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Nigeria in Ogun State have commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for approving the appointment of Alhaji Farouk Akintunde as the new Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Agency (OGWAMA).

The waste operators said the governor’s decision had already begun to yield positive results in waste management across the state.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, the Secretary of the association, Pastor Segun Adetula, said members of the group were grateful to the governor for appointing someone they described as experienced and committed to improving sanitation and waste management in the state.

Adetula noted that although Akintunde had spent less than a month in office, he had demonstrated strong leadership and a clear understanding of the challenges facing the sector.

According to him, the new managing director’s early interventions had led to the evacuation of refuse that had previously littered several major streets across the state.

He explained that the association’s executives met with Akintunde on March 2, 2026, where they presented some of the concerns affecting waste vendors and operators in the state.

Adetula said the engagement had already produced positive outcomes.

“We are glad that the meeting we had with the new MD on March 2, 2026, during which we laid bare our concerns, is already yielding results,” he said.

He disclosed that one of the immediate decisions taken by the new management was the reduction of the registration fee for waste vendors from N25,000 to N5,000, restoring the earlier rate paid by members.

Adetula also revealed that Akintunde had revoked the licences of some operators who were allegedly registered fraudulently and did not comply with the established rules governing waste management operations.

According to him, the regulations require operators to present a valid tax clearance certificate before obtaining registration or renewing their licences.

The association further noted that improved payment to Private Sector Participants (PSPs) had also contributed to better waste evacuation across the state.

“The PSPs are already working. He has been paying them, and that is why we are seeing refuse being evacuated across several areas,” Adetula said.

“We are convinced that the man is equal to the task. That is why we are here to appreciate the governor for his timely intervention, which has helped save our members from the collapse of their source of livelihood.”

While expressing satisfaction with the new leadership at the agency, the association also urged the managing director to constitute a task force to address the growing number of unregistered waste vendors operating across the state.

According to the group, the activities of such operators undermine the government’s waste management efforts and create unfair competition for registered vendors.

The association also called for quarterly meetings with the agency to enable stakeholders regularly review challenges in the sector and collectively develop strategies to strengthen waste management operations in the state.