The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PSP

  • Lagos govt urges PSP operators on improved service delivery

    Lagos govt urges PSP operators on improved service delivery

    As part of efforts to achieve a cleaner, healthier Lagos with a sustainable waste management, Lagos State Government yesterday urged Private Sector Partnership (PSP) operators on improved service delivery and transparency.

    Addressing a strategic meeting with the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM), Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said the modes of operation of PSP operators must be digitalised and accessible.

    “I am aware that PSP operators are in business to make profit and sustain employment. Then all cash collections must be digitalised for transparency,” he said.

    He added that the association should put in place proper data collation and enumeration of commercial and private facilities being serviced, ‘’as this process will increase accountability and allow operators to carry out their responsibilities seamlessly and efficiently.’’

    Read Also: How inefficiency of PSP makes way for garbage cart pushers

    Wahab said government was aware that PSP operators needed some interventions and subsidy, noting that they must be open and broadly expatiate revenue generation and expenditure.

    “I am aware that the economy is tough right now and we must support you to succeed. But I want a detailed enumeration of all the houses and digitalise the number of household facilities across the state,” he said.

  • ‘PSP operators will work with govt’

    ‘PSP operators will work with govt’

    President of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM), Olugbenga Adebola, has said the association will continually work with the government, having invested in the project, which has contributed a sizeable percentage to the state’s economy. 

    He spoke during a meeting with the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on finding ways to improve their service delivery.

    Adebola thanked the government for re-awakening the consciousness of residents to be more environmentally-conscious. He, however, lamented that members operate under a very tough business environment, which makes it difficult for them to break even.

    Read Also: Wahab: PSP operators must improve service delivery

    At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed to reconvene and bring all options to the table towards agreeing on the best way forward.

    Wahab urged the PSP waste operators to improve on their service delivery and transparency. 

    According to him, their operations must be digitised for transparency and profitability.

    He said: “Being aware that PSP operators are in business to make profit and sustain employment, payment must then be digitised for transparency.”

    The commissioner added that the association should ensure proper data collation and enumeration of all commercial and private facilities being serviced, “as this process will increase accountability and allow the operators carry out their responsibilities seamlessly for the benefit of all.”

  • Wahab: PSP operators must improve service delivery

    Wahab: PSP operators must improve service delivery

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has urged PSP waste operators to improve on their service delivery.

    Wahab, who met executives of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM) at the weekend, said their operations must be digitised for transparency and profitability.

    “Being aware that PSP operators are in business to make profit and sustain employment, payment must then be digitised for transparency. If, for example, you say you have control of 45 per cent of this business, tell me what 100 per cent of the business is. These are some of the logical questions that demand answers,” he noted.

    The commissioner added that the association should ensure proper data collation and enumeration of all commercial and private facilities being serviced, ‘as this process would increase accountability and allow the operators carry out their responsibilities seamlessly for the benefit of all’.

    According to him, the government knows that the PSP operators need some interventions, ‘but they must explain why the revenue being generated presently has dropped by 50 per cent within five years’.

    He added: “When you had a surplus, did you increase government’s stake? As such, I reject the appeal to reduce the 25 per cent remit to LAWMA. I will not go that route except on two conditions – enumeration of all the houses and digitisation of the number of household facilities across the state.

    “The continuous increase in population, with the corresponding increase in waste generation, has necessitated the need for a major change in PSP operations. The present costing is not sustainable in the light of growth to the economy.

    “It is high time we reviewed PSP operations. We must be able to speak the truth to one another as this will continually encourage the government to complement what the operators are doing.

    “It is time for PSP operators to create an online portal where GPS receivers are installed on their trucks to provide accurate locations always, including numbers of trips undertaken by each operator daily, among other things. This portal will be accessible via internet connection on a range of devices, from desktop computers, to feature phones, regardless of location, age, or socio-economic status.”

    Read Also: World Orphans’ Day: Yayi, Bamidele donate N24m

    Wahab also urged the operators to prepare to confront issue of waste, saying there was an urgent need to continually clear waste across the metropolis, while a holistic solution was being worked out.

    Special Adviser on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, noted that the state ‘is faced with a solid waste management challenge as a result of urbanisation and population growth’

    “Residents will expect an uplift in the city’s waste management system, with the resumption of door-to-door residential waste collection by the PSP operators, especially during and after the yuletide,” he said.

    President of AWAM Olugbenga Adebola thanked the government for re-awakening the consciousness of residents to be more environmentally-conscious. He said AWAN members are committed and set to continually work with the government, having invested in the project which has contributed a sizeable percentage to the state’s economy.

    He lamented that PSP operators operate under a very tough business environment which makes it difficult for them to break even.

    At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed to reconvene and bring all options to the table towards agreeing on the best way forward.

  • Govt, PSP disagree on pricing, duration

    A Lagos High Court in Igbosere yesterday heard that talks between the Lagos State Government and the Incorporated Trustees of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN) have stalled because of pricing and duration differences.

    The parties told Justice Taofiquat Oyekan-Abdullahi that they failed to perfect their terms of settlement within the two-week mandate given them by the court on March 7.

    The judge noted that the dispute might have to go to trial.

    Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi said: ‘’I think you should go to trial.”

    She fixed May 3 for hearing of pending applications, following which the matter may be assigned to another judge for trial.

    PSP’s Counsel Tosin Adesioye explained that the parties met thrice at the Attorney-Genenal’s office with Mr Quadri, but that two key issues were not solved.

    Adesioye said: “Mr Quadri advised us to hold another meeting.”

    Counsel to Visionscape and ABC, Mr Francis Akinlotan said the issue of willingness to collaborate had been resolved.

    However, he noted that that no headway was made on two other issues.

    Akinlotan said: ‘’In principle, there is no disagreement. The issues here are the granular terms of this marriage. We have resolved all but two, which have to do with pricing and duration.

    ‘’Save for price, we have moved on all other issues. However, the claimants are not satisfied with the degree of compromise that we have reached,’’ he said.

    The government’s counsel, Ms Adetokunbo Ladega echoed the other counsel’s views.

    She noted that a trial might be the next step.

     

  • Refuse: Court gives govt, PSP 14 days to settle

    A Lagos High Court yesterday gave the  state government and the incorporated trustees of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN) two weeks to perfect their terms  of settlement.

    Justice Taofiquat Oyekan-Abdullahi directed them to meet on Saturday as well as March 14 and 16 to resolve  issues concerning  domestic waste management in the state.

    She noted that though  progress had been made, there was a need to get the litigants on the same page for a resolution.

    The judge ordered the parties to ensure that their terms of settlement is in the court’s file by March 20.

    The agreement could then be adopted as the court’s verdict on March 22.

    The AWMN otherwise known as Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, filed the suit last year to stop the government from preventing its members from managing domestic waste.

    It claimed that the government intended to “take their job and give it to a foreign company,  Visionscape Sanitation Solutions (VSS) Ltd.”

    The co-respondents in  the suit are the Commissioner for Environment, the Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice, Visionscape Group, VSS and ABC Sanitation Solutions Ltd.

    But the government, through its counsel S. A. Quadri, said, among others, that the claimants were former contractors whose contract had expired.

    It insisted that the claimants had no subsisting agreement to work with it.

    Last year, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode initiated the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) in furtherance of the Environmental Management Protection Law.

    At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, the claimant’s counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, said the parties ad been meeting to settle the case, but there were pending issues.

    Adegboruwa said the PSP operators were interested in keeping the state clean, but on certain terms and conditions.

    According to him, the bone of contention is domestic waste. He blamed ‘fifth columnists’ for the delay in reaching an agreement.

    Adegboruwa said: “The waste of people in residential areas – because of the volume and the number of the members – is critical to our settlement.

    “We have been in discussion with the Attorney-General. We believe that some fifth columnists are responsible for the delay of this settlement.

    “We believe that government will be sincere in addressing the fundamental issues that relate to domestic waste.

    “We appeal to our members, especially the PSP, to continue to keep the work of cleaning Lagos, picking waste and disposing them and not allow any sabotage of the CLI,” he said.

    Adegboruwa said if government had given the PSP operators the same support accorded Visionscape in form of soft loans and trucks, waste would disappear from the state.

    “We felt frustrated that we have been doing the job meritoriously for years and now, a foreigner has come, with the intention that we are not capable.”

  • Waste: PSP Operators fault aggrieved members

    The Concerned Stakeholders of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN) yesterday condemned a statement credited to an aggrieved group within the association faulting the resolve to work with the Lagos State Government and an environmental utility group, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions to ensure cleaner and healthier environment.

    The aggrieved group, in a statement by its Chairman, Oladipo Egbeyemi, had distanced itself from the agreement to work with the government to rid the state of filth adorning major streets and highways, describing the resolution as misleading and untrue.

    Responding, the concerned stakeholders, in a statement signed on their behalf by Kasumu Afis Olasehinde of Gafista Concepts Limited, said the statement by the aggrieved stakeholders was not only in bad taste but had shown them to care less about the interest of Lagosians.

    The stakeholders comprising of 48 Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators in waste management, said their resolve to work with the government to ensure the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was borne out of the genuine desire to protect the environment and prevent outbreak of any epidemic in the state considering the resurgence of refuse in public places.

    According to the statement, “This kind gesture was warmly received and accepted by the Government, but to the surprise of many, a group believed to be aggrieved from AWMN, has come out to disown us for offering a helping hand, you must ask why? Are they angry with progress? Are they people-oriented at all? Is this challenge a thing of pride and ego to them or service to the people?

    “We have been rendering unequalled outstanding waste management service to Lagosians for decades and it is the state of things that necessitated our group’s initiative to offer help and also collaborate with Visionscape. The Visionscape group sees us as partners who will learn a lot from each other and they are willing to collaborate with us to make Lagos clean.

    “We also state that the wellbeing of Lagosians is utmost in our mind, and as we approach the raining season, we cannot just watch but also intervene to avoid epidemic, which is what the aggrieved group does not care about.

    “We can’t afford to let the initiative fail, because if it does, we will also be considered as failure, hence a need to take responsibility to render service whether paid or unpaid; laudable to say the least and quite commendable and any progressive would agree with my group,” Olasehinde said.

    While describing change as inevitable, Olasehinde said it was surprising that some people who in the past had benefited from change were working against progressive change, and also attempting to discourage those who were genuinely willing to help government in the best interest of the people.

    “Change is inevitable, other aggrieved operators can collaborate to deliver service with Visionscape without making drama out of it. It should be a collective joy to see people of Lagos living in comfort; you don’t wish failure on a vendor because you feel you can do better, and finally, it is unruly to attempt to pour cold water on the bravery and courage of the noble men who tried to swallow hurts and offer help. If we all contribute something, Lagos will work for us all by default,” he said.

  • Visionscape, PSP operators to work for cleaner Lagos

    Visionscape, PSP operators to work for cleaner Lagos

    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.

    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.”

    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.”

  • Govt, PSP operators to settle CLI dispute out of court

    The Lagos State Government and waste carriers have agreed to resolve amicably their dispute over the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), Justice Oyekan Abdullahi was told yesterday.

    Justice Abdullahi, who sits at the Lagos High Court in Igbosere, praised the opposing lawyers for embracing peaceful resolution of the case, and adjourned till January 29 for report of settlement.

    The waste carriers under the auspices of Private Sector Participation (PSP) are challenging the introduction of CLI, claiming that they would become jobless under it.

    CLI is  to address, enforce and regulate the challenges. Judge hails lawyers on settlement talks in  solid waste management  in line with global best practices.

    The PSP operators sued the  government and the CLI driver, Visionscape Group, over what they called plans to jettison them for a new investor in the collection and disposal of waste.

    At the last sitting, parties  spoke of their readiness to settle the matter out of court.

    When hearing resumed  on Wednesday,  PSP operators’ counsel Tosin Adesioye told Justice Abdullahi that the parties  had made progress on the settlement talks.

    He applied for two  weeks to enable the parties  perfect the  settlement terms.

    Responding, Director of Civil Litigation in the Ministry of Justice Saheed Quadri confirmed that the parties had met severally  on the issue.

    He said the settlement talks  had reached ‘’an appreciable stage’’, and asked for a short adjournment for the parties to conclude the deal .

    Justice Abdullahi hailed the lawyers for their  efforts to  resolve the matter, saying :

    “I want to commend all the counsel in this matter for their individual and collective efforts. I can confirm seeing the progress made so far and I want to appreciate all the parties involved in the settlement process. It is my hope that the team of legal minds in this suit will be in touch with one another,” Justice Abdullahi said.

  • Lagos initiates new waste management reforms – LAWMA

    Lagos initiates new waste management reforms – LAWMA

    Mr Segun Adeniji, General Manager, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), says the waste management challenges facing the Lagos metropolis will soon be over when the state government’s reforms take effect.

    Adeniji gave the assurance on Friday in an interview in Lagos.

    He said that the new waste management reforms were aimed at ensuring a cleaner environment in the state.

    “Our waste management sector is currently undergoing a major reform. In March last year, a new bill was signed into law on the waste management sector, producing a single legislation that covers the entire environment sector in the state.

    “That same law has made LAWMA a regulatory body, as against the time when LAWMA was only carrying out 90 per cent operations and 10 per cent regulations.

    “From this year henceforth, all operations will be carried out by a competent body called Visionscape International, and the agency will handle all waste and refuse issues,” he said.

    Read also: LAWMA: We are not owing sweepers salaries

    Adeniji said that 35 per cent of the equipment required for the onset of waste evacuation in the Lagos metropolis had arrived.

    According to him, the company will commence the clearing of waste in a fortnight with the available equipment.

    “We will soon start living under the conditions of a new programme called the `Cleaner Lagos Initiative’ ( CLI ) in the next few weeks when the equipment rolls out.

    “The little challenges we are facing now are due to the withdrawal of services by the Private Sector Participation ( PSP ) operators, who had issues with the state government because of the new reform about to take place, which made them stop collecting the waste.

    “The residents, too, were not cooperating by paying their dues for refuse collection services but I assure the residents that pockets of refuse seen here and there will be a thing of the past once the CLI becomes operational very soon.

    “There will be a little pain for us to get a greater joy,” he added.

    Adeniji said that dumpsites were being prepared for the new reform programme, while reconstruction works were underway at the Epe dumpsite.

    “In the next few months, two dumpsites will be constructed in Ikorodu and Badagry for effective waste disposal services,” he said.

    He called on Lagos residents to exercise more patience, as intervention trucks had started going round to evacuate the waste which was generated during the recent festive period.

    NAN

  • LAWMA truck kills worker

    LAWMA truck kills worker

    A truck belonging to the Lagos Waste Management Authourity (LAWMA) yesterday killed one of its workers on duty.

    It was gathered that the man was in one of the trucks operated by a Private Sector Participation (PSP) operator.

    The accident occurred about 7am, causing the PSP truck to overturn, killing the LAWMA worker instantly. But three other occupants of the ill-fated truck escaped unhurt.

    Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred at the Car Wash bus stop, Egbeda/Idimu Road, Lagos, adding that it was caused by commercial bus drivers who stopped to pick passengers along the road at unauthorised bus stops.

    It was gathered that as soon as the truck overturned, the deceased, identified as Idowu, was caught under, with part of his body, from his chest, cut into halves and buried under the truck.

    The accident was said to have occurred as its driver tried to avoid ramming into two commercial buses, filled with passengers.

    The Nation learnt that the commercial drivers were said to be struggling to overtake each other at the bus stop, to pick passengers.

    The accident caused a gridlock, which spilled over to Iyana-Ipaja, Isheri, Igando, and Iyana-Oba among others.

    Commuters were forced to alight from the buses and take to trekking to their various destinations.

    Operatives of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the police and LAWMA stormed the scene to clear the remains of the deceased and the truck.

    Two cranes were later brought to move the truck off the deceased’s body.

    Some of the LAWMA officials who knew the deceased broke down in tears at the sight of his remains.

    One of them, Mrs Aminu-Odukoya, a field supervisor, said Idowu was one of the officials collecting refuse from residents whenever the PSP truck stopped at refuse points.

    She said she was pained that nobody was able to identify the buses that caused the accidents. Apparently, both buses took off immediately the accident occurred.

    They had stopped to pick bags of refuse and were about driving off when the accident occurred.

    Another LAWMA official, Mr Olakunle Agenjo, said: “This Car Wash is not a bus stop. This accident happened at about 7am. The PSP truck had stopped to pick refuse and was about to drive away when the accident happened. A commercial bus came and parked in its front, picking passengers; another one parked at the back of the truck, also picking passengers.

    “Suddenly, as the truck was about to continue its journey, the commercial bus at the back drove fast and attempted to overtake the one at the front. But the one at the front would not allow it. In the confusion, the truck would have run into them, and it would have led to the death of so many people, which was why the driver attempted to steer the truck over the culvert. The truck overturned and our man turned with it and he was killed.”