The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, has called on anti-graft agencies in the country to investigate allegations of fraud in the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

The group particularly urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to intervene in the matter and bring culprits to book.

Recall there was major protest in some areas of the state by its worker over non-payment of salaries for months, which led to the discovery of fraud running into hundreds of millions of naira being perpetrated in LAWMA by contractors, who used sweepers to shortchange government.

In a statement on Friday, the Coordinator, Administration and Programmes, Mr Tola Oresanwo, for the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr Debo Adeniran, said findings by the anti-graft group also confirmed the fraud report is true.

He said, “From our direct interactions with some of the sweepers in the state, The PUNCH story is not far from the truth. It is also noteworthy that the Commissioner for the Environment also corroborated The PUNCH’s story by saying, ‘there was no reason why the agency should owe sweepers because their funding comes directly from the Ministry of Finance.’

“Considering the strategic and critical role of the agency in the maintenance of cleanliness in the state, we are seriously concerned about the enormity of corruption going on in the waste management authority in the state.”

“We therefore call on the anti-corruption agencies to quickly intervene in the matter now with a view to sanitising it and bringing those responsible for the alleged fraud to book so as to serve as a deterrent to others, while maintaining a cleaner environment for all Lagosians.”

CACOL also called for the “immediate handover of the former Managing Director of the agency, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegeshin, to the ICPC or EFCC to answer to the allegations.”

It asked the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Services, Mr Tunji Bello, to embark on an emergency drainage de-silting to save residents from imminent floods as heavier rains were still expected before the last quarter of the year.