By Ranmilowo Ojalumo The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and its Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators have come under fire over alleged charges to residents for waste management services not rendered in several communities across Lagos State.
A civil society organisation, Citizens Action Network, has demanded an immediate end to what it described as the compulsory payment of monthly waste bills by residents despite the failure of waste collection operators to provide services in some communities for months.
The organisation also accused LAWMA of failing to adequately address the growing refuse crisis across the state, warning that the accumulation of waste could create serious public health risks if urgent measures are not taken.
In a statement issued on Sunday, July 26, 2026, and signed by its National Publicity Relations Officer, Ade-Adewunmi Adeoye, Citizens Action Network said many communities had gone for months without seeing refuse trucks, yet residents continued to receive and pay monthly waste bills.
The group described the situation as unacceptable, insisting that residents should not be compelled to pay for services they did not receive.
According to the organisation, heaps of refuse are now increasingly visible in residential areas, with many households allegedly struggling to dispose of their waste because of the absence of regular collection.
It warned that the deteriorating situation could expose Lagos residents to preventable health hazards, including outbreaks of cholera and other diseases associated with poor sanitation and indiscriminate waste disposal.
The group further expressed concern over the possible implications of the worsening waste situation for public health, particularly as refuse piles up in residential communities and other parts of the state.
It accused the Lagos State Government of failing to respond adequately to the situation and called for urgent intervention to prevent the waste management crisis from escalating.
Citizens Action Network also criticised LAWMA’s parking system, alleging that the authority had abandoned the globally accepted “Park and Pay” model in favour of compulsory monthly tickets.
It argued that the current arrangement forces citizens to pay for parking spaces even when they do not use them, describing the system as unfair and financially burdensome to residents.
The organisation therefore demanded the immediate introduction of a “No Service, No Pay” policy for waste collection, insisting that residents should have their bills waived for any month in which waste is not collected from their communities.
It also called on LAWMA to return to the “Park and Pay” system and introduce digital payment options that would enable motorists to pay according to the duration for which they actually use parking spaces.
Under the proposed arrangement, motorists should be able to pay on an hourly or daily basis rather than being subjected to compulsory monthly tickets, the group said.
Citizens Action Network further demanded greater transparency from LAWMA, urging the authority to publish monthly service reports indicating how many times each community was serviced and the revenue generated from the waste management operations.
The organisation said publishing such information would enable residents to assess the level of services being provided and determine whether they were receiving value for the money being collected from them.
“We cannot continue to subsidise inefficiency and failure with our pockets. Lagos residents deserve dignity, cleanliness, and fairness,” the group said.
It consequently called on the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Environment to act on its demands within 30 days.
The organisation urged the authorities to ensure that residents are only charged for services actually rendered, while also taking immediate steps to restore regular waste collection across communities in Lagos.
It maintained that effective waste management was essential to protecting public health, maintaining a clean environment and preserving the dignity of Lagos residents.
