Lagos waste crisis: Sanwo-Olu appoints acting LAWMA MD, orders redeployment of senior officers

Acting MD, LAWMA, Olajuwon Akinyemi.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the appointment of Olajuwon Akinyemi as the acting Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, replacing Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, PUNCH Online has learnt.

The appointment is part of a thorough reorganisation of the agency, which also involves the appointment of Dr Tijani Olorunwa as acting Director of Operations, while Mr Kunle Adebiyi retains his position as Executive Director, Finance.

A source within LAWMA, who preferred to stay anonymous told our correspondent on Tuesday that in the latest development, the governor approved a comprehensive overhaul of the authority, including the redeployment of senior officers to other arms of the Lagos State public service.

The source said the exercise was intended to improve the waste crisis positing havoc to health of residents in the state.

“To improve service delivery and support sustainable organic organisational growth, Governor Sanwo-Olu has ordered the total reorganisation, mass transfer and overhauling of LAWMA leadership.

“He has appointed Hon. Olajuwon Mautin Akinyemi as Acting Managing Director of LAWMA and Dr. Tijani Olorunwa as Acting Director of Operations, while Mr. Kunle Adebiyi remains Executive Director, Finance.

“Specifically, the governor odered the redeployment of officers on Salary Grade Levels 13–17 to the mainstream Civil Service, Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas,” the source explained.

He, however, said that officers in LAWMA’s Legal Department are exempted from the redeployment to prevent disruptions to ongoing legal matters and concession agreements.

The source added that the heads of Landfill Operations, LAWMA Operations and Private Sector Participation Operations have been exempted from the exercise for an initial period of 90 days to allow the new management to stabilise the authority and ensure continuity of operations.

When contacted on the telephone on Tuesday,
the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, confirmed Akinyemi’s appointment.

The commissioner explained that Akinyemi was appointed to take over the agency in acting capacity with immediate effect.

“Yes, Olajuwon Akinyemi has been told to assume office as the acting MD of LAWMA with immediate effect in the major shake-up of the agency,” Omotosho simply said.

The latest development provides further details on the leadership changes at LAWMA following PUNCH Online’s earlier exclusive report on the planned replacement of the agency’s Managing Director.

PUNCH Online reported that the governor ordered Gbadegesin to resign over the heaps of refuse littering major roads, residential areas and drainage channels across the state

The report quoted an insider saying that Sanwo-Olu was displeased over the slow pace of waste evacuation and the agency chief’s alleged failure to act promptly on directives aimed at addressing the situation.

For about six months, from August 2025 into early 2026, residents across Lagos have repeatedly complained about worsening waste collection, with refuse accumulating along road medians, streets and major highways.

Lagos generates approximately 14,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, making LAWMA a critical agency in the state’s environmental management and sanitation system.

However, the new revelation indicates that the leadership change is part of a broader administrative shake-up that extends beyond the replacement of the Managing Director to the restructuring of the authority’s workforce and operational departments.

The reorganisation is expected to usher in a new management structure as the authority continues to oversee waste collection, transportation, disposal and other environmental sanitation activities across the state.

Until in his appointment by Sanwo-Olu, Akinyemi, an indigene of Badagry Local Government Area and seasoned administrator was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in 2025 as the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) for Universal Basic Education Commission.

Before the appointment, he served as Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) in the Lagos State Civil Service for UBEC.

He also served as the state’s Director of Administration and Human Resources in the Office of Infrastructure.