Lagos State Government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have pledged to deepen their technical collaboration to tackle pressing environmental challenges and build a more sustainable future.
EpeInsights reports that this bold stride is aimed towards a cleaner and healthier metropolis.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, reaffirmed the state’s commitment during a high-level visit by the UNIDO technical team to Alausa, describing partnerships as not just beneficial but essential.
“Government policies alone cannot drive the transformation we seek. Collaborations like this are the engine behind a greater Lagos,” Wahab said.
He emphasized that the environment and public health are inseparable pillars under the administration’s THEMES PLUS Agenda, warning that environmental degradation directly impacts the city’s health sector.
The Commissioner cited the state’s recent ban on Styrofoam and the planned enforcement of restrictions on Single Use Plastics (SUPs) as major steps in reducing landfill pressure and curbing pollution.
“If we fail to act, we risk creating a Hobbesian state — where life becomes nasty, brutish and short,” he said.
Wahab also highlighted partnerships with global waste management leaders — including Ghana’s Jospong Group, the Netherlands’ Harvest Waste, and cement giant LAFARGE — in transforming waste into power and reducing landfill dependency. Major landfills like Olusosun and Solus 3 are currently being decommissioned as part of this overhaul.
UNIDO’s National Programme Officer, Dr. Reuben Bamidele, expressed strong support, revealing that over 450 waste workers have been trained in Lagos, alongside 40 LASEPA and 15 LAWMA officials, as part of joint plastic management initiatives. “We are proud to be implementing both the cholera intervention and ozone layer protection projects in Lagos,” he noted.
Plans are also underway to open four new recycling and collection centers in Lekki and Yaba, reinforcing UNIDO and Lagos State’s shared vision of a sustainable urban ecosystem.
