The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM), a body of waste disposal operators, has vowed to take waste disposal and management system in Lagos State to the next level.
This was part of the commitment made by the new members of AWAM during their inauguration, as over 300 Private Support Partnership (PSP) operators pledged to double their efforts to rid the state of refuse and bring back its lost glory in waste management.
To achieve this objective, David Oriyomi, AWAM president, who took over from Oladipo Egbeyemi, has promised that his executive will rally operators to re-enact the zeal and hard-work that once made Lagos a reference point locally and internationally in waste disposal and management.
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He said the mission of his executive is to introduce international best practices in waste disposal and treatment, which he noted would serve the interest of everybody – government, state and PSP operators alike.
Urging all hands to be on deck to enable operators meet public expectations, Oriyomi promised to carry everybody along in the running of AWAM.
He said his executive would be an inclusive leadership.
“I say to you that the challenges we face are real, but they are not insurmountable. They may not be solved easily or in a short span of time, but they will be solved. We have done it before, we will do it again,” Oriyomi said.
Speaking on the readiness of AWAM in terms of manpower, facilities and financial resources to handle and confront the enormous task of ridding the state of refuse, Olugbenga Adebola, the publicity secretary, said the PSP operators had put what happened in the past behind them. He said they are ready to assist the government to achieve a cleaner Lagos.
“As PSP operators, it is worthy of note to remember the recent past; what happened in the state concerning our business. We really appreciate those God has used to bring back our business. We are prepared to deliver a cleaner Lagos. If you cast your mind back, the environment is much better than in those perilous three years ago. In the last six months, we have risen beyond the ashes of distress and we are getting better and I can assure you that we will continue to get better because Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has promised to support us to do what we are supposed to do in order to have a cleaner environment,” Adebola said.