AWAMN Lays Foundation for N1bn Secretariat

The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN) recently laid the foundation stone of its permanent secretariat in Lagos.

Themed: “Built to Last”, the ceremony, which held at No. 25, Oyetayo Street, opposite Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Secretariat, Oshodi, was followed with a reception and fundraising at the Haven Event Centre, Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Church, Oba Akinjobi Way, opposite Police College, Ikeja GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Performed by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Environment & Water Resources, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye, who represented the State Commissioner for Environment & Water Resources, Barrister Tunji Bello, in company of the LAWMA MD/CEO, Mr Ibrahim Adejuwon Odumboni and the President of AWAMN, Mr. David Oluwasegun Oriyomi, the permanent secretary congratulated the waste managers, describing them as most resourceful.

“You make me most happy as I hear you talk always of cleaner Lagos, waste is a resource, as you park waste, you make money from it, health and environment are integrated and that’s why what you are doing is most wholesome, AWAMN, you are key, what you are doing makes you look key, if we take the job seriously, Lagos will continue to be cleaner and better.

“It’s time we began to ask ourselves what should be done with the waste. We need to clean, we need to recycle. We will research and put action into it, researches are currently ongoing, you need to know what we can use waste for, with this kind of building you are putting up now, we will have a place we can go to for our brainstorming, technology will strongly help us,” Mrs. Odeneye said, asking for increased support for AWAMN and prompt payment of waste bills.

In the same vain, the Managing Director/CEO, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), thanked AWAMN for keeping Lagos clean, assuring that they will continue to be in the partnership together. Stating that the waste managers were doing their best, the LAWMA Chief executive enjoined the members: “For progress to exist in development, there must be some form of development levy, it is necessary to move the association forward, AWAMN is doing great things, I have seen what they are developing, pay your development levy and let’s continue to appreciate them.”

The AWAMN President, David Oluwasegun Oriyomi, appreciated the efforts of the associations’ past presidents and their executives, recalling that under the leadership of Pa Adepitan, the association rented an apartment at Oshopey Plaza, Ikeja as its secretariat and moved to Mushin under the leadership of Pastor Olabode Coker before the day’s foundation laying ceremony for a permanent secretariat for the association. The president said but for the effort of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, the association would have been no more by now, thanking him and praying for God’s blessings for him.

He was similarly grateful to the incumbent MD of LAWMA for signing their franchise agreement, the harmonised commercial sharing ratio between them and LAWMA, the agreement authorising them to collect the commercial revenue and remit LAWMA’s share to her and the insurance of PSP Operators’ trucks, among others, expecting that more attention as the year runs out will be given to the dumpsites, get the backlogs of debts cleared and a more harmonised relationship between LAWMA and stakeholders to make them begin the coming year on a clean note.

He charged their members to keep hope alive, optimistic that it shall continue to get better regardless of the challenges they are currently faced with as he looks forward to a better 2022 in their relationship with LAWMA and their respective clients in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, just as he was most grateful to all donors to the building fund.

An Architect to the project, Nr. Oyejobi Mobolaji Adegbenro, of Woodberry Associates, described the building as high rise, explaining that the ground floor will be used by AWAMN for general meetings and commercialised while the first floor will serve as a conference hall and offices for the association’s executive committee (EXCO) members and the second floor, a rentable office space. He said the structure will be attained in a minimum of eight months.

The ceremony attracted many dignitaries, including the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai (MAF), former Chairman, Oshodi/Isolo LG, Hon. Afeez Ipesa-Balogun, high ranking officials of LAWMA, a former MD/CEO of LAWMA but now acting Commissioner of Environment in Ogun State Engr.(Dr )Oladimeji Oresanya, Mrs . Abimbola Jijoho-Ogun, former LAWMA General Manager, past presidents of the association, members and a host of others.