While Lagos continues to grapple with one of its most persistent urban problems, two residential estates in the city’s Ikeja axis have quietly built working solutions to waste management.

Omole Phase 1 and Magodo Phase 2 stand out across the city for their clean streets, organised layouts, and functional waste collection systems.

Visiting both estates, Ìkẹjà Record found that what sets them apart is not exceptional government attention, but something harder to replicate quickly: community structure.

In Lagos, waste management is officially administered by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), operating in partnership with private sector operators and residents. That same arrangement exists in both Magodo and Omole — but with a critical difference.

In both communities, residents have cultivated a working relationship with their private operators rather than leaving the system on autopilot.

In Omole Phase 1, the private service provider is Open Door Franchise. Residents and business owners told Ìkẹjà Record that waste is collected roughly twice a week.

A representative of Old English Superstore, a shopping outlet within the estate, confirmed the same frequency.

However, a PSP worker from Open Door Franchise put the figure higher, saying their trucks come around up to four times a week. According to the worker, the estate is divided into sectors, with specific collection days assigned to each zone, ensuring full coverage across the week.

Ìkẹjà Record observed this system in practice. On a Monday visit, some bins were already filled, with extra waste packed neatly in nylons beside them. By Wednesday, a PSP truck was making its rounds through the estate, clearing the backlog.

A security guard within the estate further confirmed that each sector manages its own payments, coordination, and general maintenance — a decentralised accountability model that distributes responsibility rather than concentrating it.

Magodo Phase 2 runs a similar but independently structured operation through a private company called Xtra Clean.

A business owner in the estate told Ìkẹjà Record that both residents and commercial establishments pay for waste management services. Fees vary by property type: some businesses pay as little as ₦7,500 quarterly, while others pay up to ₦15,000 monthly. A resident whose building includes a duplex and six flats said his property pays approximately ₦78,000 quarterly.

The business owner noted that Xtra Clean deploys staff to clean different zones at least twice a week, though the service previously ran daily.

Placed around the estate are dedicated trash cans for plastic bottles — a small but visible infrastructure encouraging residents to separate waste and support recycling.

Ìkẹjà Record reached out to the Omole Phase 1 and Magodo Phase 2 GRA Residents’ Associations to understand how these systems are managed internally. Neither had responded as of the time of this report. ✚

From April 25, Lagos residents will be expected to observe environmental sanitation on the last Saturday of every month, between 6:30am and 8:30am.

This is according to the Lagos state government.

However, it remains unclear whether or how movement will be restricted within that period.

In 2016, a court scrapped the state’s environmental sanitation program for violating citizens’ fundamental right to movement.

What, then, is the government doing differently this time?

How is the government ensuring that citizen’s fundamental rights are protected while still promoting a culture of environmental sanitation?

We spoke to the Commissioner for Environment, Tokunbo Wahab. Watch our reporting below. ✚

@ikejarecord

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A week after Ikeja Record reported on the stagnant, debris-filled state of the McGregor Channel beneath the Obalende bridge, the Lagos State Government has moved in to clean up the site.

In July 2025, Ikeja Record revisited the channel following an earlier report published in March.

The return visit showed that the channel had become clogged again. 

On August 3, 2025, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, shared a video via his official X account showing workers clearing the waste.

“Ongoing routine maintenance and desilting of McGregor Channel, Obalende under-bridge,” the commissioner said.

@ikejarecordIn March 2025, Ikeja Record reported on the dire state of the McGregor Channel in Obalende. At the time, the government responded. But when we went back again in July 2025, not much has changed. The channel remains overwhelmed with plastic and solid waste. What is the way forward for McGregor Channel? Let us know in the comment section. #CleanupLagos #IkejaRecord #LagosDoesNotStinkItIsDirty #lagosnews

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Pattern of repeated cleanups

The McGregor Channel has been the focus of multiple cleanup efforts by the Lagos State Government over the past year.

On March 19, Ikeja Record posted a video on TikTok and Instagram showing the channel blocked with plastics and other solid waste. The video received over 100,000 views and hundreds of comments within 48 hours.

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In a comment posted on Instagram, LAWMA’s Managing Director, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, acknowledged the issue and announced that action was underway.

“Good morning @ikejarecord. I have asked our surveillance and enforcement team to go to this location. We will clamp down. Thanks!” Gbadegesin wrote.

The statement comes days after Ikeja Record published a report exposing repeated incidents of illegal dumping by the Agege underbridge, where piles of refuse line the pavement just across from the Total Energies station on Agunbiade Street. 

Despite regular clean-ups by LAWMA trucks, the waste often reappears within hours.

As you approach Pen Cinema in Agege, a bridge connecting the area to Iju, Ogba, Abule-Egba, and Iyana-Ipaja rises into view. Beneath the bridge, traders ply wares and the homeless linger. 

Just across from the Total Energies station on Agunbiade street, piles of refuse line the elevated pavement dividing the main road. During repeated visits by Ikeja Record, a pattern emerged: the waste is usually cleared only to reappear again.

This past Monday, during one of our checks, we spotted a Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) truck clearing up the mess. One of the waste collectors said they pick up refuse from the area daily, although the timing often varies.

Still, the question remains: Who is dumping this refuse here and why hasn’t it stopped?

Traders deny involvement

The adhoc dumpsite sits just a few feet from the Agege Underbridge market by the rail tracks, but some traders deny any connection to the waste.

A bread seller who asked not to be named confirmed to Ikeja Record that LAWMA trucks come regularly to pick up the trash.

“People come here to dump waste but I’m not sure it’s the traders,” the breadseller said. “We have someone who cleans the market, and they take the refuse we gather at the end of the day.” 

@ikejarecord How does a major Lagos intersection turn into a dumpsite every day? At Pen Cinema, piles of refuse return almost as fast as they’re cleared. What do you think is a lasting solution to this sanitation problem in Agege? #pencinemaagege #pencinemabridge #lagossanitation #cleanuplagos #ikejarecord #lagosnews #trendingnow #lagosreport ♬ original sound - Ikeja Record

Another trader admitted that a few traders might be responsible but claimed that most of the refuse is dumped by LAWMA sweepers who clean the bridge and surrounding areas.

What residents say

Kasunmu street in Oke-Koto is the closest residential area to Pen Cinema. Other streets nearby include Agunbiade, Odutan, Ajebo, and Jinadu streets.

In an interview with Ikeja Record, the Chairman of Kasunmu CDA, Alhaji Lawal Saadu, said some residents dump their refuse under the bridge to avoid paying LAWMA fees.

“LAWMA charges about ₦250 to ₦300 per household, which is very affordable. But instead, some people prefer to pay ₦200 to Aboki [scavengers], who then secretly dump the refuse under the bridge or at Alfa Nla in Oke-Koto,” Alhaji Saadu said.

He explained that he had reported this to LAWMA officials multiple times, but no action had been taken.

“There was a time when offenders were arrested, but the government no longer deploy officials here,” the CDA Chairman said.

Alhaji Saadu also noted that LAWMA trucks now collect refuse from their CDA three to four times a month, a frequency he commended.

However, Mrs. Sadiat Amoje of Jinadu street disagreed, claiming that the traders are mostly to blame for the dumping.

“Yes, some residents do dump waste there, but they are very few,” Mrs. Amoje said. “The real culprits are scavengers and traders.”.

A senior market official at Agege Underbridge, who asked not to be named, dismissed that claim.

According to the official, the market has a designated waste collection point where the cleaner deposits all trash for LAWMA to collect.

“Maybe LAWMA can help us by assigning a security officer to catch and arrest whoever is dumping waste illegally,” the official said.

The Kasunmu residents association have expressed willingness to partner with the state to curb illegal dumping, if provided with bins and surveillance officers who can patrol the area and apprehend offenders.

Ikeja Record reached out to LAWMA via its official channels. An official acknowledged our inquiry. However, we were yet to receive a response by the time this report was filed.

The bigger picture

Indiscriminate dumping of waste is not unique to Agege. Across Lagos, similar hotspots exist where waste is routinely dumped by unidentified individuals or businesses.

In response, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources recently activated the LAWMA Waste Infractions Surveillance and Investigation Team, aimed at expanding enforcement across several parts of the state.

As a result of these intensified operations, a number of individuals have been apprehended for unlawful waste disposal practices.