Lagos to partner Sweden firm on waste to energy

Photo caption:L-R; Head of International Financing and Procurement Strategy and Business Development of The Sweden Trade and Investment Council, Mr. Oscar Carlsson, Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr.  Mahamood Adegbite; Representative of the Consul of Sweden in Nigeria and Trade and Business Promotion Officer , Ms. Sara Ibru; Honourable Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab; The Swedish  Trade Investment Council Project Manager,  middle East/ Africa, Nathalie Thiel; Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji and Honorary Consul of Sweden, Mr. Phillip Akesson, during a Business meeting with  top Management of Lagos State Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources, held on the 15th of October, 2024, at Lagos State Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources Conference Room, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos State.

The quest to make good use of the high solid waste generated in Lagos State got another boost on Tuesday 15 October 2024 as the state expressed readiness to partner with some Sweden organizations on how to turn both solid waste and liquid waste to energy across the metropolis.

Speaking during the meeting at Alausa, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources,  Tokunbo Wahab said the state will continue to pay special attention to waste management adding that waste is not a waste but remain one of the best resource every where.

He said Waste to energy is a project that the State Government is willing to embark on in order to move the narrative forward in a progressive and productive way.

“Our resolve from the beginning of this tenure is that whatever we have to engage in to manage and deploy our solid and liquid waste as a resource is a priority for this government as it will save Lagos but other neighbouring state” he said.

The Commissioner stated that the Ministry which is a public facing ministry has resolved to embrace any project that will cut the carbon foot print in the state.

He said  the state being a coastal state is faces alot of challenges, one of which is the Atlantic Ocean rising at the peak of the rainy season adding that the state is also at the end of numerous tributaries where water is discharged into the lagoon all of which could lead to flooding in the state.

He said lagos generates between 13,000 to 14,000 tonnes of waste per day  and the state is  open to suggestions about possible productive ways to turn it into a Resources and move the state forward.

Wahab said lagos as a State is working to decongest the roads and make Lagos a 21st century mega city saying that the cause and effect on the environment is  that these moves help to reduce the emissions on the long run.

According to him, As a result of current energy crisis in Nigeria, this has caused

the spike in the cost of PMS and its multiple effects on the economy. So if the Lagos State Government can go ahead with this project. it will solve half of the problem in the PMS high price in Lagos.

“This project is something we have to pursue deliberately and diligently.

This is because while the government on its own part is trying to push out CNG at lower cost, conversion of waste to energy will also be an option especially for public transport in Lagos”

Wahab  said Lagos account for over 50% of the vehicular traffic in the country with the smallest land mass as well as 22million people which is 10% of the country’s population being inhabited in with less than 3,600 square kilometers of land, stressing that the project is not an option but a necessity.

He said that selected state officials had hitherto visited Sweden and the reports of their findings have been submitted saying that the State will require a road map from the Swedish organisation which can be designed into the road map for the state.

He recalled that earlier in the year, the state government had been in consultation with two Dutch companies one which will turn waste to energy and the other which will deal with electronic waste, adding that the state can indeed change the notion that waste is not a waste but a resource.

The head of the delegation, representative of the Consul of Sweeden and the Business Promotion Officer, Sweden Embassy Abuja, Ms. Sara Ibru noted that the Lagos Government is known to be very pro – active in all its endeavours and that the Swedish Organizations are willing to collaborate with Lagos State to turn solid and liquid wastes into  valuable resources.

The Honourable Commissioner was joined by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen and his Counterpart in Drainage Services, Engr Mahamood Adegbite to receive the visitors

The organizations representatives include Swedish Trade and Investment Council ( Business Sweden); Honourary Consul of Sweden in Nigeria; Swedish Development Agency (SDA);  NIR International Council of Swedish Industry and Swedfund.