Nigerian cities are steadily turning into sprawling dumpsites. A recent alert by the Federal Ministry of Environment that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding in 11 states in 2026 is, therefore, not merely a weather forecast; it is an indictment of decades of neglect. Unless governments confront the waste crisis decisively, flooding, disease outbreaks and environmental degradation will remain annual rituals.
This has become an all-too-familiar cycle. Every rainy season, drains clog with refuse overflow, streets become rivers, homes are submerged, and livelihoods are destroyed.
Poor waste management has become one of the biggest drivers of perennial flooding in Nigeria. Beyond the floods lie the stench of decay, outbreaks of disease and growing threats to public safety.
The evidence is everywhere. Residents of about 80 communities in Sholu-Kajola, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, have been battling foul odours, blocked roads and fears of disease from a dumpsite near the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. Despite assurances from the authorities months ago, the dumpsite remains uncleared.
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, presents perhaps the starkest example of this failure. A previous administration once pursued an aggressive sanitation drive, but the momentum was not sustained.
Today, many communities grapple with mountains of uncleared refuse, while road medians and drainage channels have become unofficial dumpsites.
Residents pay between N1,000 and N5,000 monthly for waste collection, yet many neighbourhoods remain littered with garbage.
The problem extends beyond Lagos. Across the federation, state and local governments have failed to adopt modern waste management systems despite maintaining ministries and agencies dedicated to the environment.
Waste management in the 21st century is no longer about collecting refuse and dumping it at landfills.
Around the world, cities now view waste as an economic resource capable of generating jobs, energy and raw materials. Nigeria must urgently make this transition.
According to Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Nigeria generates about 66,828 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, roughly 32 million metric tonnes annually, with only 10 to 30 per cent properly collected or recycled.
The country also produces about 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, yet recycles less than 10 per cent. Unsurprisingly, Nigeria ranks among the world’s poorest performers in waste management, with dire consequences for public health, waterways and climate.
Lagos, with an estimated population exceeding 20 million people, cannot continue to rely on outdated dump-and-dispose methods. A megacity aspiring to global status cannot function amid overflowing drains and mountains of refuse. Modern waste management infrastructure is no longer optional; it is an economic and public health necessity.
There are examples to emulate. In Indore, once notorious for poor sanitation, the authorities transformed the city through strict waste segregation, door-to-door collection, a zero-landfill policy and large-scale recycling systems.
The city has repeatedly been ranked India’s cleanest.
Likewise, Kigali has become one of Africa’s cleanest capitals through rigorous enforcement, monthly community sanitation exercises and a strong anti-litter culture.
Lagos has already shown glimpses of what is possible. The waste-to-energy project at the Ikosi Fruit Market in Ketu, developed in partnership with C40 Cities, converts organic waste into biogas and electricity while producing fertiliser for farmers. Such initiatives should not remain isolated pilot projects; they should become standard across markets and municipalities.
States must invest in modern waste infrastructure such as material recovery facilities, recycling plants, biodigesters, waste-to-energy systems and sanitary landfills. Waste collection vehicles should be sealed to prevent refuse from spilling onto highways. Digital tracking systems can monitor collection routes and improve accountability. Public-private partnerships should be encouraged to unlock investment and innovation in the sector.
Equally important is behaviour change. Illegal dumpsites proliferate because enforcement is weak and civic culture is poor. Refuse is still thrown from moving vehicles and discarded into drains. Such practices must stop.
Scavengers continue to comb through untreated refuse without protective gear, exposing themselves and others to disease. Formalising recycling and integrating waste pickers into regulated systems would improve public health while creating jobs.
Environmental sanitation cannot succeed through government action alone. Civil society organisations, the media and the National Orientation Agency must lead sustained campaigns promoting proper waste disposal.
Waste education should also be integrated into primary and secondary school curricula to cultivate a culture of cleanliness from an early age.
A country aspiring to economic greatness cannot continue to live amid mountains of garbage.
