| Orders redeployment of senior officers, appoints new Director of Operations
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved a major leadership shake-up at the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), appointing Olajuwon Mautin Akinyemi as Acting Managing Director to replace Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin.
The development was confirmed on Tuesday by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, who said Akinyemi had been directed to assume office with immediate effect.
The appointment is part of a comprehensive reorganisation of LAWMA, which also involves changes in its operational leadership and the redeployment of senior officers to other arms of the Lagos State public service.
Under the new arrangement, Dr Tijani Olorunwa has been appointed Acting Director of Operations, while Mr Kunle Adebiyi retains his position as Executive Director, Finance.
Confirming the development, Omotoso said: “Yes, Olajuwon Akinyemi has been told to assume office as the Acting MD of LAWMA with immediate effect in the major shake-up of the agency.”
A source within the authority, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had earlier disclosed that the governor approved a sweeping overhaul of the agency, including the mass transfer and redeployment of senior personnel.
According to the source, the reorganisation is aimed at improving service delivery, strengthening operational efficiency and addressing the persistent waste management challenges confronting the state.
The source explained that officers on Salary Grade Levels 13 to 17 would be redeployed to the mainstream Lagos State Civil Service, Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
However, personnel in LAWMA’s Legal Department have been exempted from the exercise to avoid disrupting ongoing legal proceedings, contractual obligations and concession agreements.
Similarly, the heads of Landfill Operations, LAWMA Operations and Private Sector Participation Operations have been temporarily excluded from the redeployment for an initial period of 90 days.
The exemption, according to the source, is intended to allow the incoming management to stabilise the authority, maintain operational continuity and ensure that essential waste management services are not disrupted during the transition.
The leadership changes come amid growing public complaints over the accumulation of refuse across several parts of Lagos, with residents expressing concerns about deteriorating environmental sanitation, blocked drainage channels and heaps of garbage along major roads and residential neighbourhoods.
For several months, particularly from August 2025 into early 2026, waste collection and evacuation challenges have featured prominently in public complaints, putting the state government’s environmental management machinery under increasing pressure.
The governor was reportedly displeased with the slow pace of waste evacuation and allegations that the outgoing managing director failed to respond promptly to directives aimed at addressing the situation.
Gbadegesin’s exit had earlier been linked to the governor’s dissatisfaction with the worsening sanitation situation, although the latest announcement formally confirms the appointment of his successor and the wider restructuring of the authority.
Before the confirmation, Dr Hassan Sanuth, a director in the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, had been rumoured to be in line for the position. Sanuth, however, dismissed the reports, describing claims of his appointment as untrue.
Lagos generates an estimated 14,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, making LAWMA one of the most critical agencies in the state’s environmental management system.
The authority is responsible for coordinating waste collection, transportation, disposal and other sanitation-related activities across the state, working alongside private sector operators and other stakeholders.
The latest reorganisation therefore goes beyond a change of leadership, signalling an attempt by the Sanwo-Olu administration to restructure the agency’s workforce, strengthen supervision and improve its capacity to respond to the state’s enormous waste management demands.
Who is Akinyemi?
Akinyemi, an indigene of Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State, is an experienced administrator with a background in public service management.
Before his latest appointment, he was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in 2025 as Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
He had also served as Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) in the Lagos State Civil Service for UBEC.
In addition, Akinyemi previously served as Director of Administration and Human Resources in the Office of Infrastructure in Lagos State.
His appointment comes at a critical time for LAWMA, with expectations that the new management will move swiftly to improve waste evacuation, strengthen operational coordination and restore public confidence in the state’s environmental sanitation system.