Lagos governor appoints Akinyemi acting LAWMA chief as former MD exits and top team is reshuffled

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appointed Olajuwon Akinyemi acting managing director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), replacing Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, confirmed the appointment to Punch by phone on Tuesday.

Several senior officials moved at once

According to Punch, the governor also appointed Dr Tijani Olorunwa acting Director of Operations, while Kunle Adebiyi stays on as Executive Director, Finance. Several senior officers were redeployed to other arms of the Lagos public service. The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, also confirmed the reshuffle on Tuesday evening.

He succeeds a predecessor ordered to resign

Gbadegesin was ordered to resign on October 19-20 after refuse piled up across Lagos and collection stalled. Reports at the time said an acting managing director had been appointed, but that appointment was never confirmed; Tuesday's announcement is the governor's formal arrangement for the agency's leadership.

Akinyemi is from Badagry, Lagos, and previously served as Executive Director of Operations at LAWMA. In 2025, President Bola Tinubu appointed him Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

A waste crisis running for about six months

Lagos generates about 14,000 tonnes of waste a day. Since August 2025, collection has steadily worsened, with refuse heaps, mosquitoes and foul smells reported in many neighbourhoods, and residents complaining loudly. The governor's reshuffle of LAWMA's leadership is clearly aimed at resetting the clean-up effort.

What to watch next is whether Akinyemi can restore citywide collection in the short term, and whether the state government announces a timetable for appointing a substantive managing director.

Sources: Punch, The New Citizen, QNC News, Lagos Eye, nuus.ng, November 10, 2026.