We’ve created jobs through waste management - Bello

The Lagos State Government says it is addressing the persistent problem of waste accumulation in the state.

It added that the move had led to the employment of many residents of the state.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, said these on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, during the ministerial press briefing to mark the second year of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

He added, “Over 30,000 direct new jobs have been created in the environment sector through the Lagos State Waste Management Authority with several thousands of indirect employments as well.”

Bello said the acquisition of 210 new compactors by the Private Sector Participation operators had also led to the employment of over 8,200 people, while the number of the PSP operators had grown from 350 to 437.

 He stressed that in line with the government’s agenda, waste generation and disposal processes had been reinvigorated through circular waste recycling.

The processes, he affirmed, would reduce the amount of waste generated and transported to the landfill sites.

“The EFAG (Emergency Flood Abatement Gang) has carried out routine maintenance, cleaning and emergency de-flooding interventions on approximately 307-kilometre length of both tertiary and secondary drains in the state in the last one year,” he added. Punch