By Ebun Sessou

The Lagos State commissioner for Environment, Mr. Babatunde Adejare yesterday assured that the new bill that seeks to merge existing environment laws in the state into one will not send the Private Sector Participation, PSP operators out of business.

He disclosed this during the public hearing while reacting to questions from journalists on the possibility that PSP operatives would be taken out of business as well as destroy the local economy.

Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare

The Bill is titled, ‘A Bill for a Law to Provide for the Management, Protection and Sustainable Development of the Environment in Lagos State and for other Connected Purposes.’

Stakeholders at the public hearing  agreed that the bill will generate substantial benefit for the environment in the state and the health of the citizens assured.

According to the commissioner, “LAWMA is the only authority by law to cart away wastes, but as it is today, LAWMA has employed the services of the PSP operators and it has no intention to send away the PSP.

“We are generating above 13 metric tonnes of waste per day. LAWMA will not cope if it handles the waste management alone. Refuse is found all over place. We cannot send all  the 350 PSP operators out of the business”, he said.

He lamented that some of PSP operators are not effective adding that, most of them break down at will on the road.  “There are over 10,000 commercial areas as well as markets in Lagos that the PSP oversee. What the government is particular about is cleaner, flood free, and beautiful Lagos.