…He has been recalled, says Kadiri
Some staff of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) are now in a quandary over the reinstatement of their former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, to office.
It was learnt that the situation has led to low morale and poor attitude to work in the agency with many of the staff, questioning how a man was relieved of the same position in May 2020 after widespread allegations leading to a forensic audit of the affairs of the authority under him would return to occupy the same position three years after.
According to some staff, a group of whistleblowers identified as “Concerned LAWMA Operators,” had alleged that racketeering and fraud were prevalent under him, causing the authorities to institute a forensic audit into the affairs of the authority.
The alleged acts then reportedly impacted the State’s treasury as among others the padding of highway sweepers and their supervisors’ wage bills for several months by a cartel led by a lady simply identified as “Iron Lady” with the backing of some powerful state political actors was without restraint.
In addition, funds budgeted to take care of other critical areas like dumpsites management, hazardous waste management and used tyre clearance were said to have been cleverly converted into offsetting bogus and ever-rising wage bills. This culminated in his removal by the state governor.
The staff are, therefore, wondering how the same man removed then for all of those reasons has again now returned in the same capacity, making the issue all the more burdensome because the report of the forensic audit is till this moment not known as it’s neither released nor made public as to probably say that he may have been exonerated.
When contacted, the Public Affairs Officer in the Agency, Folasade Kadri, declined to comment on the matter, insisting that the agitation was politically motivated. She also maintained that those with genuine claims against the LAWMA boss ought to have raised their voice about six months ago when he (Gbasegesin) was reappointed.
“I don’t have any comment on this matter. It is a political issue. I am the public affairs officer for LAWMA and I only respond or react to issues bordering on the operations of the Agency.
She, however, wondered why the agitation when her boss was never indicted of any complicity in his first stint as head of the Agency. “The same person who removed him has brought him back and he was never indicted. Or, was he indicted?” she queried.