CENTUS NWEZE ReportingÂ
Ibadan, capital city of Oyo State, and other major city hubs may be swamped by hazards associated with waste management if the state government doesn’t wade into the impasse between Mottainai Recycling Company, state appointed waste manager and other operators in the industry over different fee payment regime instituted by the company, Truth Live News has learnt.
Waste collectors have threatened full showdown with Mottainai over a N250,000 newly introduced compulsory fee.
But the operators claim that such monetary consideration on the part of the company would cost the state severely in terms waste management.
Its members are already being mobilized across the state to embark on a protest to the governor’s office to register their frustration.
In memo from Mottainai detailing, in their own words,”Minimum Requirement For Pre-registration MAFS”, the waste management company directed all waste contractors in the state to make payment of N250,000 for compactor trucks services and another N200,000 for open trucks, respectively as part of pre-qualification exercise for the zero waste initiative.
As contained in the company’s circular, the waste contractors were directed to make the payment into a designated bank (name withheld) in favor of Mottainai Recycling.
But Henry Olayinka Kayode, one of the waste contractors and leaders of the waste contractors association told journalists on Monday in Ibadan that the newly introduced fee was unacceptable to members, alleging that its purpose was self serving as operators all paid the sum of 500,000 each to get licensed by the state to begin operation in 2019.
Waste contractors raised fresh alarm over the new directive by the waste consultant, calling on Governor Seyi Makinde to immediately wade in to stop what they described as the ongoing barefaced exploitation that has made many members seriously indebted to banks and other financial institutions.
“All the excuses given by the consultant the last time were not only flimsy, but also untenable because as a waste contractor in Lagos, he would not can accept or operate under such exploitative and self serving policies”, he said.
The waste contractors also among allege that the introduction of consultancy into waste management has worsen waste management in the state.