Visionscape, PSP operators to work for cleaner Lagos

The partnership was finalised at a meeting convened yesterday by the Commissioner for the Environment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, in his office at Alausa, Ikeja, the state capital.

Durosinmi-Etti said the government was interested in easing the challenges in waste management by creating synergy between Visionscape Sanitation Solution and the WCOs in their spheres of operation.

The commissioner noted that resolving the challenge in a mutually beneficial manner was the best approach.He said: “Government, more than ever, believes in this partnership. That is why it has not only provided a facility of up to N2.5 billion with state government guarantee, which PSP operators could access to upscale their operations, but has also opened another channel through the Employment Trust Fund for loan facilities at reasonable interest of not more than 12 per cent per annum.”Durosinmi-Etti said the state government was determined to remove all bottlenecks hindering seamless waste disposal operations.According to him, the state government is targeting a turn-around time of 30 minutes at the dumpsites by encouraging stakeholders to create additional platform at the sites.

The commissioner said no efforts would be spared to return the dump sites to sanity by reducing indiscriminate parking of trucks and allowing scavengers, which he said add to the loss of time at dump sites.

The Chief Executive Officer of Visionscape Sanitation Solution, John Irvine, lauded the initiative between his company and the WCOs.

He said: “It is not unusual to face this kind of problems, especially in the first cycle of operations. It takes some time to build the superstructures and ameliorate the present hiccups. We are buying locally and taking steps to have waste container bins manufactured locally.”

Visionscape Sanitation Solution and Waste Collection Operators (WCOs), also called private sector participant (PSP) operators, have agreed to a partnership for cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos.

On behalf of the WCOs, Kasumu Afis Olasehinde reiterated the commitment of the waste collectors to the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative.

Olasehinde said: “To show our total commitment to a cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos, we have not only resolved to work with the Government of Lagos State and the domestic waste operators as partners, we have also resolved to begin free operations, every Thursday, to mop up black spots in our areas.”