From the piled-up trash at Ojota in Lagos to the foul odour lingering around Mile One in Port Harcourt, one message rings loud and clear: Nigeria’s cities are being overwhelmed by their own waste, and it is turning into a national crisis.
Take a walk through many urban areas, and you will see the same troubling scene. Rubbish dumped along roadsides. Gutters overflowing with plastic bottles, food wrappers, and household refuse. The situation worsens during the rainy season when downpours become relentless, often flooding entire neighbourhoods, floods that could have been prevented if waste was not clogging drainage systems. In Kano, Lokoja, Onitsha, Ibadan, Aba, Abuja, and many other cities, residents are forced to live with this daily reality, watching helplessly as blocked drainages become breeding grounds for disease, and heaps of waste invade markets, bus stops, and even schools.
This is not just a sanitation issue, it is a matter of public health, dignity, and urban survival. With a population of over 200 million, how is it that Nigeria still struggles with something as basic and essential as waste disposal? It is a question, millions are asking, and one that demands urgent answers.
Nigeria produces around 32 million tonnes of solid waste every year, ranking among the highest waste-generating countries in Africa. Shockingly, less than 20% of this waste is officially collected, and only a tiny portion of it ever sees a recycling plant. The rest? It is either dumped illegally, burned in the open, or left to block gutters and waterways across the country.
These alarming numbers reveal more than just a dirty environment, they expose deep-rooted failures in governance, poor urban planning, and a widespread lack of public accountability. The ripple effects are felt far and wide across ecosystems, economies, and even in the political sphere.
When waste is not properly managed, the results are devastating. Flooding becomes a regular nightmare in cities, displacing families and wiping out roads, homes, and livelihoods. Burning waste releases toxins into the air, and contaminated water from landfills seeps into the ground, polluting streams and wells, and putting communities at risk of illnesses such as asthma, cancer, and cholera, etc.
And when local authorities fail to deliver basic waste collection services, others step in, often untrained and unregulated. What follows is a chaotic, fragmented system where nobody is fully in charge, and everyone suffers the consequences.
Nigeria’s waste problem is not just about trash piling up, it is a reflection of deeper, long-standing issues that cut across all parts of society. While it is easy to blame one group or another, the truth is that the responsibility is shared by government bodies, companies, and ordinary citizens.
At the government level, things are moving far too slowly. Agencies that are supposed to manage waste often do not have the tools, staff, or drive to do the job properly. Waste management contracts are often awarded based on political connections rather than actual competence, leading to poor service and zero accountability.
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Consider NESREA, the agency responsible for enforcing environmental standards. While its mission sounds good on paper, its real-world impact has been limited. Even in a city like Lagos, where LAWMA (Lagos State Waste Management Authority) has tried to make a difference, issues like irregular collections, poor oversight, and inefficiency remain an issue. What about the proposed ban on single-use plastics? Announced with great excitement, and has come into effect but yet to be put into serious action, more of a catchy headline than a concrete plan.
The private sector is not doing much better. Many companies, especially those in food, beverage, and cosmetics, are major contributors to Nigeria’s plastic waste problem. Yet, only a handful have stepped up to take meaningful responsibility. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a system that would hold companies accountable for the waste their products create, has barely taken off in Nigeria.
Instead, these companies continue to produce massive amounts of plastic packaging that ends up in landfills, gutters, and oceans. Their so-called sustainability efforts, such as organizing a few clean-up events, are more about publicity than real solutions. There is little investment in real change like eco-friendly packaging, recycling programs, or long-term environmental strategies.
But the blame does not stop with institutions or businesses. Everyday Nigerians also play a part. It is common to see people tossing, and sometimes dumping tons of waste into gutters especially when it is raining, with the erroneous belief that the flood water will take it away. And actually sometimes, it does take it away, but the question is, where does it take it to. Some are of the belief that it takes it to the ocean. But even at that, is the ocean a dump site? Many dump theirs directly into any nearby river, stream or any water body close by. Some others burn their waste by the roadside turning the public gutters into an incinerator and thereby causing an unprecedented damage to public infrastructure. Even when people choose to do the right thing by disposing off their waste properly, most homes and businesses do not sort their waste, and the idea of separating recyclables from non-recyclables is almost nonexistent.
There is no more time for excuses. The signs of neglect are everywhere: blocked gutters, mountains of uncollected garbage, and increasing health problems linked to pollution. The government must step up with real leadership. Companies must own up to the waste they produce and play their part in cleaning it up. And the ordinary citizens must understand that disposing off waste properly is of immense benefit to everyone. They should also understand that how they dispose off their trash, whether they recycle, what they consume, also matter.
If we do not act now, the situation will only get worse. Our cities, which should be places of growth and opportunity, will instead become overwhelmed by filth and decay. But if we work together using the right tools, supporting innovation, and taking responsibility, we can transform our cities into clean, efficient, and sustainable places to live. The future is still in our hands.
By Dr Vitus Ijeoma.