Justice Taofiquat Oyekan-Abdullahi, of a Lagos High Court, has directed the State Ministry of Environment and the Incorporated Trustees of the Waste Managers Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter to speed up the settlement agreement between parties over the attempt by government to exclude the Private Sector Participation (PSP) Waste Operators from domestic waste collection and disposal under the Cleaner Lagos initiative, deploring the fast filthy nature of Lagos as a result of the crisis.

• Justice Abdullahi, who was furious over the non-presentation of the terms of settlement before her as the parties had promised at the last adjourned date, said she wondered why they could not simply meet and reach an agreement on the issues and save Lagos and the people from the smelling heaps of waste now building up all over the place.

“The issue of waste is beyond the parties in this matter, it has to do with all Lagosians because it bothers on the health and lives of all. That is why I cannot understand why you are here today again to ask for an adjournment to enable you to meet and reach an agreement on the grey areas? What I expected is that you would have met and all we need do here today is cross the ‘Ts’ and dot the ‘Is and I can adopt it as the judgment of the court on the matter but here we are with all sorts of excuses, this case file is the most important before this court now, I wanted to get through with it before the Christmas break.”

“You mean Lagos will remain smelling like this into the New Year? No, do something, go and meet with yourselves, reach an agreement, come up with the final draft, put it on the internet, call me, I will enter it as judgment from wherever I am so that we can move on, We can’t continue to leave Lagos in this state,” said Justice Abdullahi.

Bottom line: We must begin to talk about the filth in Lagos which the governor, Akinwunmu Ambode, seems oblivious of.

Earlier this year, the Lagos State House of Assembly passed a Bill to Provide for the Management, Protection and Sustainable Development of the Environment in Lagos and for other connected purposes.

The objective of the bill was to ensure a cleaner environment within the state.

Despite the Sanitation Law and the existence of LAWMA, among other ‘efforts’ put in place by Governor Akinwumi Ambode, such as the concession of the waste management system to private holders, it is curious that the city still reels of filth.