A Lagos resident has narrated how he single-handedly brought officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to evacuate refuse from his street after two months of neglect, only to be confronted by area boys demanding illegal levies.
Posting under the handle @Freestuv1, the resident said the incident occurred about three weeks ago after he personally went to Abule-Egba to pick up the waste collection truck, as the officials did not know the route to his street.
Upon arrival, he said, local hoodlums emerged and demanded “Owo Ile” (land levy) from the LAWMA workers before they could begin waste evacuation.
“I came down from the truck to challenge them. I am doing a community service for the whole street, and you guys still had the effrontery to demand money from people who are here to pack your waste,” he wrote.
The confrontation reportedly happened on a Sunday morning, at a time when most residents were at home.
Expressing frustration over the incident, he lamented that such behaviour continues to hinder progress in many communities.
“Unfortunately, we will remain backwards in this part of the world with such mentality,” he said.
The post has since sparked online discussion about illegal levies, insecurity, and residents’ growing frustration with waste management in some parts of Lagos.
