Ogun waste collectors warn of service disruption over rising costs

Waste management operations in Nigeria's Ogun State face a significant threat of disruption, according to the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN).

The association has warned that escalating operational costs, coupled with persistent delays in payments and what they describe as unfavorable policies from the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, are pushing many operators to the brink of financial collapse. Some have already been forced out of business entirely.

Pastor Jolaoluwa Gbenga, chairman of the Ogun State chapter, stated that operators often receive only a fraction of their approved bills, sometimes as little as 25% or 30%, and at best 50%. This chronic underpayment plunges waste managers into debt, making it difficult to maintain equipment, pay staff, and purchase essential resources like diesel.

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This painful development has plunged many waste managers into debt, making it increasingly difficult to maintain equipment, pay workers’ salaries, purchase diesel and sustain efficient service delivery.

AWAMN is calling for an immediate review of the current payment system to ensure prompt and full settlement of invoices, deeming the existing arrangement unsustainable. They also criticized a 45% deduction from industrial waste revenue as excessive and unjustifiable, urging a reduction to a maximum of 20% to reflect economic realities and ensure business viability.

The association highlighted the astronomical increase in diesel costs as a major challenge, impacting their ability to perform their duties and threatening environmental sanitation across the state. They appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to fulfill a promise to facilitate the acquisition of modern waste compactors and requested the establishment of a Special Support Fund to cushion the impact of rising costs.

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We, therefore, call for an immediate review of the current payment system to ensure the prompt and full settlement of approved invoices because the existing arrangement is unsustainable and poses a serious threat to effective waste management in the state.