Of keeping Lagos clean, LAWMA and the ‘Iron Lady’

BY ENDURANCE AIYEGBENI

Lagosians often judge the success of their Governors by two critical parameters: how clean or dirty the State is and the extent to which traffic congestion is dealt with. A low score on either could cost the Governor a re-election. If in doubt, ask the immediate past Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. Aside his run-in with the chieftains of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), his goose was cooked because Lagosians were disenchanted with the dismal performance of his government, which made a pledge towards ‘Cleaner Lagos.’

His successor on office, Babajide Sanwoolu, chose to run with vigour by paying serious attention to the issue of making Lagos cleaner and more environment-friendly. That task involved making the Lagos Waste Management Agency, LAWMA, more efficient. This focus led to the appointment of Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin as LAWMA’s Managing Director/CEO. The impact of the new CEO was felt almost immediately, as the filth that saw Ambode out of office rapidly began to disappear from the streets of Lagos. It was that easy because the Neuroscientist brought to bear on the job his vast professional experience that cuts across academics to public governance in the US and Nigeria.

The clean-up of the Mile 2 area, an important part of the Apapa community, stands as a testimony to the good work of LAWMA under Gbadegesin. That project was the handmaiden of Mrs Wuraola Williams a.k.a ‘Iron Lady,’ a LAWMA contractor for the recruitment of Road Sweepers. She is a notable women mobiliser for the ruling APC government in Lagos. She was instrumental to the clean-up of the area after having explained the importance of a clean environment to community stakeholders.

The enormity of the task at hand required that LAWMA deployed its caterpillars and trucks to clear the heap of wastes in the area, without which the street sweepers could not do any appreciable work. The passion with which the ‘Iron Lady’ and her team executed the clean-up of Apapa community clearly underscored the need to have a proper fit of capacity, zeal and dedication. What was not public knowledge was that this unsung and passionate environmentalist offered to Clean Up Mile 2 for free at a time that LAWMA received commercial bids that were in hundreds of millions of Naira.

Incidentally, her success at this and other projects she handled in different parts of Lagos State became both her strength and her weakness. Curiously, too, this became the source of a political conspiracy that has snowballed into what could be likened to a ‘movement’ to see Lagos revert to its unenviable position of being one of the dirtiest capital cities of the world.

Perhaps out of envy or a political falling out, Iron Lady became the focus of spurious allegations of monumental fraud, with some claiming she controlled about 66 road sweeping routes in Lagos; controlled 10 per cent of the Lagos waste market and earns an estimated N80 million out of N560 million paid out by LAWMA every month. In other words, she was perceived as a one-woman power base. At the core of the Iron Lady’s alleged ‘crime,’ as contained in a petition by a faceless group of ‘Concerned LAWMA Operators’ is the contention that she presented ‘criminally padded wage bills’ to LAWMA. For added effect, the petitioners pushed the position that she ‘forcibly hijacked’ the so-called routes with the support of the Agency’s CEO, Gbadegesin, who has now been suspended from office.

What may not be documented publicly as of the present moment is the result of the ‘forensic audit’ said to have been conducted to affirm or disavow the various allegations made by the so-called whistle blowers. What, however, is known is that Mrs Ola Williams, prior to the current developments, was only tasked to co-ordinate some other routes for other legitimate contractors who felt she had more experience, capability and capacity to manage the services of the sweepers. This was aside from her own primary contract. In effect, she was not only a contractor to LAWMA, but also a sub-contractor to other LAWMA Contractors.

Amongst those who owned routes managed by Ola Williams are The Olu of Epe, Yetunde Sekoni (Yetunde Freedom house), Hon Kukoyi, Baba Jose, Epena, and a host of other contractors, all of who collect payments from LAWMA directly into their accounts as per their contracts.

These contractors and others have kept mute in the face of this injustice being dished to Madam Ola Williams, and they have all continued to receive payments without questions or noise.. These individuals are people of some standing in society, politics and governance. They trusted Iron Lady’s ability to deliver according to LAWMA’s Terms of Engagement. And they all received their payments directly from LAWMA whilst the Iron Lady only received payments for sweepers under her contract. This arrangement helped to ensure a smooth and seamless workflow. Where then is the crime?

On the issue of the Ikorodu Verification Exercise and allegations of wage padding, it would seem from our that Ola Williams accusers failed to mention to the general public the exact routes visited and the specific sweepers that were found to have supposed multiple registration for fear of self incrimination.

What may also not be clear to observers is the fact that the on-going battle may be way beyond the issue of keeping Lagos clean. This is because of speculations on the existence of fifth columnists in government working with some politicians with the goal of frustrating the good works of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu. This is because, a return to dirty Lagos is one of the most potent tools that could be deployed to rubbish any attempt at getting him to return to office in 2023. The thinking is that if it worked successfully against former Governor Ambode, it also could be effective against the incumbent Governor.

But need this necessarily be so? As members of the same APC political family, it will amount to cutting the nose to spite the face for the good works of the current administration to be subject to the whims and caprices of people who desire to play God in the lives of other people. What does it profit the purveyors of falsehood to destroy the sterling careers of performers, as is being vicariously done to Dr. Gbadegesin? Is it fair to revoke the contract of a single individual, as done to the Iron Lady whilst remaining conveniently indifferent to unraveling the truth behind the lie that she controlled 66 routes? Does it make any sense for LAWMA to retain contractors with low capacity to perform even as they receive payments directly into their accounts? Where is the place of selfless service? Where is the place of empowerment for people, especially the womenfolk who toil day and night to put food on the tables of their various families?

At the current time when it appears to be fair game to nail the Iron Lady for crime she did not commit in the course of helping to keep Lagos clean, it is pertinent to also recall the famous words of the late Martin Luther King Jnr: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Aiyegbeni sent this piece from Mile 2.