06032018 - Charge any Fulani man with AK-47 to court—BUHARI

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
Refuse collection: PSP factions differ on
government’s position
•As faction accuses government of divide and rule tactics
By Kingsley Adegboye
ASSOCIATION of Waste
Managers of Nigeria
AWAM, the umbrella body of
private sector participation
otherwise known as PSP in
refuse collection in Lagos
State, is at loggerhead with a
splinter group of the
association that calls itself
Concerned Waste Collectors
in Lagos over disagreement on
the state government’s
decision to exclude them from
collecting domestic waste.
The new arrangement by the
government is that with the
coming of Visionscape under
the Clean Lagos Initiative CLI,
PSP waste collectors have been
restricted to collecting
commercial waste only. But
AWAM says the entire
commercial waste in Lagos is
just 20 per cent of domestic
waste which is not enough for
its members who are over 400,
and for this reason, they have
engaged the government in
discussion to see if the state
government will see reasons
with them to be included in
domestic collection as they
believe there is more money in
domestic waste than in
commercial waste collection.
They have subsequently
suspended their operation
until the government reasons
with them.
However, the new group,
which has decided to work
with the government said their
desire to work with the
government was borne out of
a need to prevent the outbreak
of an epidemic in the state
considering the resurgence of
waste in public places.
AWAM members last week in Lagos insisted
that reinstating them to their previous duties
as domestic waste collectors in the state is the
way out of their protracted dispute with the
government, pointing out that the government’s
decision to restrict their operations to solely
commercial waste collection was not a fair
decision by the government.
According to their interim chairman, Oladipo
Egbeyemi, “Domestic waste collection forms
about 80 per cent of our total operations. The
reason for clamouring for domestic waste
collection is because commercial is just 20 per
cent of our operation. Commercial waste
collection will not be enough for the over 400 of
our members”.
The PSP operators who also accused the state
government of employing divide-and-rule
tactics after a splinter group of waste collectors
emerged last week and pledged their
cooperation to the government, however,
distanced themselves from the claims that they
have resolved to collaborate with the
government, saying they are still negotiating
an out-of-court settlement.
At last week’s press conference where the
members unanimously agreed that domestic
waste collection is the only way to save their
jobs, Mr. Egbeyemi said the association, would
not sanction members of the splinter group,
maintaining that there is no division in AWAM
“We have internal mechanisms that can be
explored and once we have exhausted that then
we can go to the next level. We have absolutely
no intention of sanctioning them because there
is still room for them to come back.”
He said that negotiations with the
government and Visionscape had not collapsed,
adding that they were yet to receive a feedback
from their talks with the company.
“The only way out of this challenge is for us
to work together to take Lagos out of this mess.
We are still hoping that Visionscape will come
around and give us their terms of operation.”
Meanwhile, explaining why the group
decided to align with the government, Mrs.
Bamidele Hussain, CEO, Olive Store Waste
Collectors, who said she was a founding
member of AWAM, disclosed that they decided
to reason with the government out of concern
•Refuse collectors on duty
for the environment, as refuse had littered the entire
Lagos metropolis, insisting that their decision to
intervene at this point, was to prevent likely epidemic
outbreak in the state.
Mrs. Hussain who said they are still members of
AWAM, revealed that they had not concretised any
decision with the government, as talks are still
ongoing, pointing out however, that they are making
progress in their discussion with the government,
insisting that the reasonable thing to do now, is to
think about how to get rid of refuse on the streets of
Lagos while discussions are ongoing, but not to
suspend operations. She noted that it is wrong for
anybody to dictate to the owner of business as AWAM
members
New Haier Thermocool energy saving
electrical appliances unveiled in Lagos
AS part of its efforts to
protect the environment,
help in cutting down on power
consumption and saving teeming
Nigerian consumers some money
on electricity bills, the leading
electrical appliances retailer,
CoolWorld Retail Store, has
introduced a new range of energy
saving Haier Thermocool
refrigerators, freezers and air
conditioners into the Nigeria
market.
The company notes that their
new Haier Thermocool range of
energy saving refrigerators and
Former NIESV
president elected
OAU EDM President
FORMER President,
Nigerian Institution of
Estate Surveyors and Valuers
NIESV, and Chairman, Bode
Adediji Partnership, a firm of
estate surveyors and valuers,
Mr. Oyebode David Adediji,
has emerged president of the
Alumni Association of the
Faculty of Environmental
Design and Management,
EDM, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The association was formally
inaugurated last week at the
sidelines of Alumni Reunion
of the faculty under the
chairmanship of the Vice-
Chancellor, Professor Eyitope
Ogunbodede, ably
represented by the Deputy
Vice-Chancellor
(Administration), Professor
Chris Ajila.
•Mr. Bode Adediji
freezers have the ability to save up to forty percent on
energy consumption while the energy saving inverter
DC technology air conditioner, aptly named GENPAL,
can save up to sixty percent on energy consumption.
According to the company, all the products were
birthed out of the desire to give consumers the best
comfort experience on home appliance usage at a
reduced energy cost.
Speaking at the launch in CoolWorld Retail Store in
Lagos, the Marketing Director of HPZ Ltd., Mrs.
Bukola Bandele disclosed that whether the consumer
is a trendy young corporate executive or a busy
working mother, the desire to minimize electricity bills
and save money as well as sustain a comfortable
lifestyle remain constant.
“This is why we decided to take ownership of this
energy saving conversation
by championing the
provision of quality energy
saving home appliances on
all models of our fridges and
freezers and the new
GENPAL, to give everyone
greater peace of mind,
irrespective of the size
purchased”, she explained.
According to her, as the
No.1 electrical appliance
business in Nigeria with
Haier Group partner which
is No.1 worldwide for the
sixth consecutive year,
investment in the project is
a true demonstration of
Haier Thermocool steering
the market in the right
direction by delivering right
benefits first to the
consumers, the community
where the business
operates and the country at
large.