Court orders LASG, waste operators to settle dispute between them

IN order to ensure peace and facilitate a cleaner Lagos, a Lagos High Court on Tuesday directed all the PSP waste operators and the Lagos State government to meet in order to resolve all the issues in controversy between them, so as to achieve the overall objective of a cleaner Lagos.

Honourable Justice Oyekan Abdullahi, sitting in the Lagos Judicial Division, gave the directive after listening to counsel for the PSP operators, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who chronicled the frustrations of the operators as that of investors who have spent time and money to partner with Lagos State for a cleaner Lagos, only to end up being dumped by the government for a preferred foreign investor.

The right activist informed the court that several letters have been written to the governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, to which they have not received any positive response, even though the operators are always open to dialogue.

Responding, Mr S.A. Quadri, who represented Lagos State, countered the waste operators’ arguments by stating that the government was always open and ready to dialogue with them and that even as of yesterday, February 20, 2017, a meeting was to hold between them and the Honourable Commissioner for the Environment.

Having listened to all counsels, the judge directed all the parties and their counsel to meet urgently, with a view to discussing and resolving all pending issues. The judge noted further that it would seem that dirt and refuse heaps have found their ways back into the city again, to which the waste operators responded that even in the face of extreme provocation from the government, they have continued to perform their duties of waste collection and disposal, as at when due.

The judge stated that the laws establishing the court permits judges to encourage settlement of disputes between the parties, in consequence of which she directed the executive members of the waste collectors association to write their names and telephone numbers for Mr Quadri, for onward transmission to those in charge. The case was then adjourned to March 9, 2017, for report of the meeting.

It will be recalled that the PSP waste operators had approached the Court on January 17, 2017, to challenge the proposed new policy of the Lagos State government, to bring foreign investors to take over waste collection and management in Lagos State. Amongst other reliefs, they were claiming from the court some reliefs.

The reliefs include a declaration that the waste operators as Private Sector Participants-waste operators, stakeholders and investors in waste collection, transportation and disposal management in Lagos State, are entitled to collect, transport and dispose of domestic solid waste in Lagos State and are entitled to remain and function as waste operators entitled to collect, transport and dispose of domestic solid waste in all areas of Lagos State.

They also asked for a declaration that the decision of the government eject or in any other manner disturb them from collecting, transporting and disposing of domestic solid waste in Lagos State is inequitable, arbitrary and inconsistent with the rights and obligations of the claimants and an injunction restraining the government from authorising, licensing or permitting any person(s), body or organisation(s), especially and including the 4^th-6^th defendants, as the sole operators to collect domestic solid waste in all areas of Lagos State, to the exclusion and detriment of the claimants.

Further, they asked for an injunction restraining the defendants from transferring, removing, and or ejecting from the claimants herein, the collection of proceeds of domestic waste services, rendered by the Claimants, being currently collected, recouped and/or managed directly by the claimants among many other reliefs and orders.