The Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) of the Akinwumi Ambode administration has been controversial since its take-off mid last year, with many saying the policy has achieved the exact opposite of what it was originally intended to achieve.
While majority of the citizens accuse the state government of insincerity — for handing the CLI project to an incompetent contractor — the government claims some unscrupulous individuals are sabotaging its efforts.
So the citizens decided to take matters into their own hands by sharing pictures of how dirty the city of Lagos has become as a result of the cleaner Lagos initiative.
“How about we all post pictures of how dirty Lagos has been since the Cleaner Lagos thingy started and tag Ambode to it and use the hash tag #CleanerLagos,” wrote a Twitter user with the handle, ‘Portrait Artist’.
How about we all post pictures of how dirty Lagos has been since the Cleaner Lagos thingy started and tag Ambode to it and use the hash tag #CleanerLagos pic.twitter.com/eLF46m2FAu
— Portrait Artist (@badt_BOI_) March 25, 2018
And so begun the social media protest laced with some doses of sarcasm.
I was strolling from yaba to ojuelegba when I decided to whip out my Tecno Camon CM and take some pictures. Omo Lagos clean sha.. #CleanerLagos pic.twitter.com/KWJ1zx59jL
— Me (@ogbodoisaac) March 26, 2018
#CleanerLagos #IdotiwajuEko Visionscape is working, rats and germs are twerking.. pic.twitter.com/UhUmd6VwYr
— ‘Dele Abiodun (@MASKURAID) March 24, 2018
I was passing through Oredo, going to Kubwa this morning and I saw this magnificent sight ????
Lagos is clean abeg.
Taken with my brand new iPhone S2 by Infinix
Visionscape you too much!!!#CleanerLagos pic.twitter.com/cbYNO27xtZ
— GET/POST Malone (@Prosquid) March 24, 2018
Passed by Westminster Bus stop this morning and couldn’t resist testing my iPhone XI Camera to showcaize the cleanliness in our faboloz Lagos streets!#CleanerLagos #DigitalMarketer #UnaDeyMad pic.twitter.com/MgzEAzdpMc
— shumrū (@Mhagayr) March 24, 2018
Something light as seen with my Sagem X7 at mushin-isolo road 11.49am #CleanerLagos #CleanStreetsOfLagos
Lagos was cleaner. pic.twitter.com/8kVH6mb1iW
— Olawale (@iamsuperwhales) March 27, 2018
Lagos seems to have gotten something wrong as par the #CleanerLagos Initiative & we must not wait until there is disease outbreak.
Lend your voice to the #SaveLagosFromWaste Campaign.
We need minimum of 1000 RETWEETs to let Governor @AkinwunmiAmbode know that #EnoughIsEnough. pic.twitter.com/2Fg16tEh7B
— Surprising Lagos (@SurprisingLagos) March 27, 2018
Testing my Tecno 10000. Gosh! Lagos is soooo clean. Check out Falolu, Surulere coming through with that sparkling goodness. #CleanerLagos pic.twitter.com/fSNVPy74BR
— Funmi Amarvi (@f_marvis) March 27, 2018
This isn’t Singapore, this is Lagos. What a beauty #CleanerLagos #CleanStreetsOfLagos pic.twitter.com/SrRXJB448H
— Tóbi OG (@aunty_tobi) March 25, 2018
The cleaner Lagos they don’t want you to see pic.twitter.com/hx0WLRk6LM
— Chemical Brother ???? (@chemicalbroda) March 24, 2018
This was taken tonight,
Location: Ikotun#CleanerLagos #CleanStreetsOfLagos pic.twitter.com/K1ZjDTwTym— Portrait Artist (@badt_BOI_) March 25, 2018
This is really not what you think and it is unfortunate that Lagosians neither know nor understand the real truth behind why Lagos was so dirty at this/these collective points. Firstly, Lagos State govt gave Visionscape the responsibility of residential collection and infrastructure provision. NOT WASTE COLLECTION FOR THE ENTIRE STATE (Residential & Commercial) The PSPs were still supposed to handle Commercial sites. However, the PSP felt threatened by Visionscape’s presence and then went on a smear campaign to force LASG to revoke its contractual agreement with Visionscape. They firstly downed tools, which led to the dirt you are/were seeing, and secondly start started blaming Visionscape for the work they (PSPs) should have been doing…
Let’s even track backwards a little. Before Visionscape, LASG was paying private waste collectors N300Million every month to clean Lagos, and yet Lagos was getting no cleaner. In comes Visionscape to help solve the problem and then PSPs were then going to be paid based on performance. It is then they got dramatic and went on this unfortunate smear campaign
And with the recent Olusosun Fire, Visionscape in conjunction with LASG has agreed to continue and focus fully on its original brief which was infrastructure building and now give the responsibility of cleaning our streets, both residential and commercial to the Waste Collectors.
So, once again, this is really not what it seems, we should get our facts rights before throwing undue blame…