*Elders, youths spark over ‘wicked’ waste disposal charges by Excellense, Tunap
*Only in Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle, Ewu-Titun areas PSPs are more powerful than state government, Residents cry out
*Say ‘they bill us’ per room against per house at N1,250 monthly
*As PSPs accused of billing Church, Mosque building N60,000; school N90,000
*Our politicians want us dead from waste-borne diseases – ‘Gbebodi e’
*Nonchalance of LAWMA, PSPs, others threatening APC’s chances in coming elections here – Residents
*Journalists prevented from reaching accused PSPs for verifications
*Youths threaten showdown if wastes not cleared in 10 days
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Lagos State communities of Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewu-Titun, in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, have described as inexplicable why fellow citizens they voted to represent their interest in government got there and are now using the powers to destroy their peace, social welfare and economic development.
They were said to have been provoked by what they called the nonchalance of Private Sector Partnership (PSP) operators to whom the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) awarded the contract of waste collection of their areas in ensuring cleaner environment as global practices demand, in the fight against pandemics in human communities.
Engr. Babatunde Faleye, Fourth from Left, Chairman, and other executive members of Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewu-Titun Community, Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Lagos State, during a press conference to sensitise Nigerians on their plights in the hands of PSPs playing the NEPA in crazy billing system, held in Oshodi, on Tuesday February 7, 2023.
According to them, Excellense and Tunap, who are supposed to be the PSPs in waste collection and transportation on behalf of LAWMA, were alleged to have turned the Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewu-Titun Community (OSME) into centre of waste-laden environment due to their unsatisfactory attitude to work.
The allegations against them were in three faces: One, that they are nonchalance as they do not come regularly to collect wastes thereby making the whole environment filthy. Two, that against instruction from LAWMA for them to visit two times a week to collect wastes in the area of responsibility, they come only one time in two weeks and even at the one time, they do not collect all refuse around. Three, that the PSPs act like Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) who know they do not supply electricity to customers and yet go ahead and charge, subjecting people to paying for what service they were not provided and still pay heavily based on crazy billing system.
An OMSE executive, Madam Ogunsanya Feyisara a.k.a. Gbebody e, while appealing to Lagos State Government to save her community in Mafoluku, Oshodi, Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Lagos State, from PSP waste collectors playing the NEPA in crazy billing system thereby turning the place to refuse dump, on Tuesday February 7, 2023.
The PSPs, Excellense and Tunap, our investigations revealed, are two separate organisations owned by two different people, who are equally members of the communities but who are united in compromising their duty and sabotaging the good intention of the state government.
The DEFENDER reports that Private Sector Partnership (PSP) in waste collection and transportation was established in 1997 under the state administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State and placed under the Ministry of the Environment to provide a Cleaner Lagos Environment for the good health of resident or working in their respective areas of operation.
However, the people they are meant to serve say the money the PSPs Excellense andn Tunap represent do not merit the money they are collecting from them as they have gone out of the guidelines provided by government agency, LAWMA, as they now not only fail in their collection of wastes in the communities but also they nonchalantly threaten not to collect any waste unless they pay the unbearable crazy bills they charge and which they do per room as against per house.
They said they and their children are now suffering from refuse-borne diseases as a result of failure of PSPs contracted to pack their wastes, who have persistently failed to perform and “still showing arrogance at failing”.
Several efforts having been unsuccessful to make the state regulatory agency see, reason and find solution to the problem, the communities came together on Tuesday February 7, 2023 at a forum where they addressed a press conference and conducted Journalists round the various streets across the communities to see things for themselves.
Addressing the press conference, Chairman of Oshodi, Mafoluku, Ladipo and Ewu Tuntun Community in the Oshodi/Isolo council area, Engr. Babatunde Faleye, said, “We the Concerned Residents of Oshodi Mafoluku, Ladipo and-Ewu Titun Community hereby call on the press and Nigerians at large to understand the fact that we have been exploited by the PSP operators in our community, while we are over billed for a service we do not enjoy as expected,” he said.
Representatives of Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewu-Titun Community, Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Lagos State, during a press conference to sensitise Nigerians on their plights in the hands of PSPs playing the NEPA, held in Oshodi, on Tuesday February 7, 2023.
Naming the PSP operators as Tunap and Excellense, the duo of who, he said, “see themselves as lords” over the communities the government had contracted them to render waste disposing services to but contractual agreement of which they breached and still charged indiscriminately high and with impunity.
Sadly, none of officials of the agency and private disposal companies allegedly involved in the lack of performance and nonchalance has made it possible to speak to their principals for their own side. Their attitude has made them incur the wrath of the community as witnessed both at the media meeting and across the streets on Tuesday.
Speaking further, Engr. Faleye blamed the PSPs owners particularly that of Excellence named Mr. Oriyomi David, for independently carrying out unauthorised jerk up of waste collection charges.
According to him, in May 2021 Excellense increased from initial N200 per room or shop and N700 per flat to N450 per room or shop and N1,250 flat including a self-contained that is increment of between 125 percent and 700 percent depending on the building category. This, Faleye said, is in breach of the official contract that in event that any increment becomes necessary, it must be with the consent of the regulating agency, LAWMA and that, even at that, it must not be more than 50 percent.
In the just ended year, November 2022 precisely, Excellense has now increased waste collection charges from N450 to N1,250 per room or shop and N1,750 per flat including a self-contained that is increment of between 100 percent and 800 percent respectively.
To the chagrin of the residents, in November 2022, both Excellense and Tunap waste collecting contractors again increased rate to between 100 percent and 800 percent and, line it was said, these PSP operators had given excuses of cost of diesel and foreign exchange rate in the country as reasons for their non-performance and yet charging residents despite not picking their wastes at twice weekly instruction to them by government agency, LAWMA, but come at will only once in two weeks.
The residents complained that these PSPs charged one occupant of a room and parlour apartment at per room, parlour and kitchen at N1,250 each per month to the extent that currently in the OMSE area of operation given to them for wastes collection, occupant of a single room or shop pays N1,250 per month while a self-contained resident is subjected to paying N2,750 and a Mosque or Church is charged minimum of N60,000 in an area where building used for private school is charged between N90,000 and N120,000.
According to the press conference address, Engr. Babatunde Faleye, who is Chairman of OMSE, pushed forward the demands of the people to include among others that no increment of waste collection charges will be effective in the community and that the two PSP operators listed Excellense and Tunap are no longer wanted to work in the community.
One of churches allegedly billed by PSP waste collector to pay N60,000 per month for waste collection, during an on-the-spot checks by Journalists including of The DEFENDER, on Tuesday February 7, 2023.
Other demands are that the idea of per room or per shop billing shall now cease to be in the community as any new PSP operators LAWMA shall appoint for the Oshodi, Mafoluku, Shogunle and Ewu-Titun Community area of operation shall henceforth bill per house or building while those charges shall go back to the rate of 2021, the Chairman said.
Although we have been unable to speak to management of LAWMA, an OMSE executive, Madam Ogunsanya Feyisara a.k.a. Gbebody e said, “The last time we met with the MD of LAWMA, he said were are the ones at fault that we are not supposed to allow PSPs to enter our houses talk less that they will now be counting rooms.
One of Mosques allegedly billed by PSP waste collector to pay N60,000 per month for waste collection, during an on-the-spot checks by Journalists including of The DEFENDER, on Tuesday February 7, 2023.
A resident, who spoke at the press conference, Mr. Lawal Ekundayo, said, “The government and LAWMA are our problem. If not so, why do you give PSPs so much powers that they increase bills for refuse they do not come to collect in two months and they still charge like they are doing normal?”
During our on-the-spot verifications across the streets with Oshodi and Mafoluku communities as case study, the hips of garbage we saw were eyesore. Asked why, residents who readily spoke to Journalists, said because the PSPs were not coming to collect their wastes except whenever they liked.
One of them, however, cried out that, “More annoying is the fact that as scattered all over as you see refuse in our street now, it is since last two months and they will come and still want to force us to pay for service they did not render and our government keep quiet and are allowing all these wicked to continue against us. It’s okay, God will judge and we too will decide at the coming election,” she said.
One particular middle-aged mother complained that “said since two weeks now we have been moving from hospital to hospital because sickness we were told was caused by unhealthy, untidy environment due to dustbins unpacked for weeks now turning our house to waste centre,” she spoke in Yoruba at one of the Mafoluku streets we visited on Tuesday.
In the meantime, youths in the part of Lagos State are warming up for a showdown as they said they would not sit down to watch while the government of Lagos State, LAWMA and the PSP operators send to their early graves as result of refuse dump site to which they have now turned our streets.
