*Says Excellense Links boss yet to report to Alagbon
By OUR REPORTER, Lagos
The long dragged controversy bedevilling waste collection in the Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewutuntun Community in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State may have been finally resolved, as new operators approved for the work begin operations.
OMSE Chairman, Engr. Babatunde Faleye, disclosed this while addressing a press conference on Tuesday February 6, 2024.
According to Faleye, the PSP operators commenced operations on Tuesday January 30, 2024 and have been designated to their respective areas operation in the expansive community in a way that hurts no one.
“This is the second Press Conference on the issue of Domestic Waste PSP Operators at the Oshodi community. I would like to welcome firstly the ladies and gentlemen of the press, who obviously are the reason for today (success),” he said, adding that, “Oshodi’s Domestic Waste PSP Operator’s issue has been a very peculiar one, it is a case of tyrant operators hiding under the guise of the government to perpetrate illegal activities within our community.”
He listed the erring PSP operators, “These PSP Operators Excellense Links and TUNAP have illegally increased rates of domestic waste clearing activities twice, defrauding the people by using the state’s logo and title to back up their correspondences.
“In May 2021, they made an illegal increase of between 125% – 750% dependent on the category of the structure, using ROOMS BILLING as an example, each room was increased from N200 to N450 and again, by November 2022 another illegal increase of between 100% – 1,000% also dependent on the category of structure was made, putting the already illegally inflated rate of N450 to N900 per room.
“This act is considered illegal as the only official increase advised by the Lagos State Regulators LAWMA was a 50% notice on all rates.
“All appeal from the community and State Leaders (Hon. Almoroof Oloyede our LGA Executive Chairman, Hon. Shokunle past House of Assembly representative, Hon. Akinderu Commissioner for Housing, etc) to the operators proved abortive.
“One of the Operators, M.D. of Excellense Links, tried to bully the community by reporting four active community members, myself included to FCID Alagbon @NigeriapolicePR with claims that we damaged his property and threatening his life. Upon visitation, the senior officer in charge looked through all documentation submitted and asked that we be immediately released, and the petitioner invited.
“Till this date, he is yet to report to the FCID as we are yet to be reinvited,” Faleye explained.
Continuing he said, “A suit was also filled against active members of the community by the M.D. Excellense Links at the Magistrate Court Oshodi sighting similar threat and damage to property lies. This suit was struck out on the 23rd day of November, 2023 for incompetence.
“Thereafter, a kangaroo meeting was conducted without us the petitioners present at which rate per room was reduced to N800 from N900, whiles residents at Isolo, a constituency under same local government with us pays between N300 – N400 per room.
“We resolved to protest to the Executive Governor, the Hon. Speaker House of Assembly, the Hon. Commissioner for Environment, M.D. LAWMA and other stakeholders.
“We also reached out to the press (radio, print and social media) outfits to advocate our situation, to which the newly elected president of (AWAM) Association of Waste Managers Nigeria came on air to discuss with the issue.
“He made mention that part of their bylaw is that an Operator should not be assigned more than Two (2) wards at a Local Government Area; of which the old Operators at Oshodi have Four (4) and Three (3) wards respectively. This activated our writing back to LAWMA and Ministry of Environment to which our appeal was considered and Three (3) New PSP Operators (ESOSOM NIG, LTD., BUCKLAD NIG. ENT. And PERATECH TECH. COMP.) have now been delegated to our community to begin operations.
“The new PSP Operators here present after due negotiations have agreed to a rate of N500 per room/occupant as against N800, N600 per shop as against N1,000, N750 per Mini-Flat as against N1,750, N1,000 per Flat as against N2,000 and N1,500 per Duplex as against N3,500 by the existing Operators.
“The New Operators commenced operations last week Tuesday 30th January 2024 and have been designated to the following areas:
“The old PSP Operator have resolved to use thugs to attack the new PSP Operators to stop their operations. This has happened twice already. It took the intervention of community members escorting the new operators before they could work freely.
“The old operator’s performance has been very poor with debris littering all over the community. The community had to on many occasions call on LAWMA who sent in trucks to clear the locality.
“Our appeal goes to the old high-handed operators to come down to the newly agreed rates otherwise they would have to vacate our community for other competitive operators to resume. We have been vindicated by the new rates now enjoyed,” he said this as we gathered that in wards allocated to Excellense Links and TUNAP, customers still protested on Sunday over their high-handedness.
He thanked all that had played roles leading to the success that the community has achieved.
“We are most grateful to God that a struggle of over Two (2) years is coming to a favorable closure and eternally grateful to our very efficient Executive Governor of Lagos State – Mr. Babajide Olusola Sunwo-Olu, Rt. Honorable Mudashiru Obasa – Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Barrister @tokunbo_wahab – Hon. Commissioner Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin – MD/CEO of LAWMA and Hon. Almoroof Oloyede – Executive Chairman Oshodi Local Government for being masses sensitive and reducing the hardship on the people.
“Our profound appreciation also goes to Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai – Hon. Commissioner Lagos State Ministry of Housing, Hon. Kayode Ogundipe – Lagos State House of Assembly Representative of Oshodi Constituency 1, Pa Olawoyin – Oshodi CDC Chairman, Oba Shakirudeen Adeshina Kuti –
“The Elewu of Ewu Land, Alhaji Aregbe of the Aregbe Family Landowners, Department of State Services (DSS), The District Police Officers (DPOs) of Akinpelu, Makinde and Shogunle Police Divisions, The entire CDC and CDA Executives, APC Party Leaders and Elders.
“To our brothers and sisters of the press, we are forever indebted as your kind support made this happen. But for the interview of AWAM Current President, by Mary-Ann of Info FM, the lacuna that brought the new operators to be seconded to our community would not happen,” the OMSE Chairman said.
Engr. Babatunde Faleye, who thanked his associates at Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewutuntun for a job well done, looked to the eyes of journalists in attendance saying, “Truly, there is great power in the pen”.
