Assembly urges Sanwo-Olu to probe LAWMA crisis, prosecute culprits

• Frowns at those trying to tarnish govt image with street sweepers viral video
• Lagos govt enacts new urban, regional planning law

Lagos State House of Assembly has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate those behind a viral video where some sweepers engaged by service providers working with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) protested non-payment of their salaries.

In motion moved by Desmond Elliot during the House plenary yesterday, the Assembly resolved to commend the efforts of government on waste management, but frowned at the activities of those who deliberately set out to tarnish the image of the administration.

Elliot stressed that the House condemned those behind the videos which went viral on the issue of non-payment of the salaries of sweepers by LAWMA and that the House had urged the governor and the Ministry of Environment and other relevant agencies to look into the issue and bring the people behind it to book.

The House also implored the governor to direct the commissioners of the Ministry of Finance and Environment and Water Resources, Accountant-General, State Treasury Office, the Acting Managing Director, LAWMA and other relevant agencies to expedite action on payment of all outstanding allowances of the sweepers.

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, stated that there was need to address the issues raised by members of staff of LAWMA.

In a related development, the Lagos State Government yesterday enacted the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development (Amendment) Law 2019.

The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who disclosed this yesterday, said the enactment aimed at repositioning the built environment sector to make Lagos a 21st Century economy pillar of the THEMES agenda.

He stressed that the new law would safeguard the physical environment and guarantee the well-being and safety of Lagosians.

He assured that his ministry would guard jealously the religious implementation of the law, which was earlier assented to by the governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, on June 23, 2020.