Lagos, Aug. 11, 2026 – Obafemi Hamzat, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, has blamed shortage of functional trucks for the heaps of wastes littering the state.
He said the shortage of functional trucks had reduced the number of waste collection trips which operators could make.
Hamzat said this while speaking on a radio programme in Lagos on Tuesday.
He said the government was also dealing with a shortage of functional waste collection trucks with some private-sector operators to maintain the number of vehicles required under their agreements because of rising operating costs and ageing equipment.
The deputy governor said the state had about 420 private-sector waste operators, known as PSPs, which were expected to operate at least two trucks each.
He said the state government had ordered additional 100 trucks to strengthen waste collection in the state and promised that each of the 57 local governments and Local Council Development areas would receive two trucks to make 114 trucks.
Hamzat aid the delivery of the trucks, initially expected in July, had been delayed until September because of logistics challenges.
The deputy governor said government was also exploring ways to convert waste into useful materials and, eventually, energy, but stressed that effective waste collection and sorting must come first.
He said the state now generates 17,000 tons of waste daily against the earlier estimate of 13,000 tons.
The deputy governor said the unanticipated increase in the volume of wastes had made it difficult to plan the waste management accurately.
He blamed the rapid population growth for the steady increase in the volume of wastes generated in the state.
