All Progressive Congress Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has debunked reports and insinuations that he owns Visionscape, the foreign environmental utility group engaged by Lagos State Government for waste management.
He said he does not have a penny stakes in the firm, dismissing media reports the conglomerate belongs to him as untrue and false.
The former Lagos State Governor spoke on Friday evening while addressing members of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, also known as PSP operators, in his Bourdillon Ikoyi, Lagos residence, who submitted a petition to him.
โI beg to correct something and I think I have to do it publicly; the rumour Iโve heard all over the state and the social media is that I am the one who brought a foreign company.
โI am not the owner of Visionscape. Categorically, Iโm telling you today, I have no pennyโฆYes, that is the truth,โ Tinubu said
He said the decision to bring in the company to handle waste collection and management was solely that of Lagos state government and has nothing to do with him.
Tinubu however assured the operators he is concerned about their plights, promising to meet with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the shortest time possible to find a lasting solution to the waste management crisis in the state.
โIโm concerned as a leader, resident and a father in the state that heaps of refuse are gradually returning to Lagos.
โWhen driving around Lagos, I have seen a buildup of refuse. Be rest assured that weโre not going to allow that to happen.โ
The Cleaner Lagos Initiative, he explained, was conceived with good intentions, stating โpersonally, I think Visionscape was brought in to address the complexities of waste collection and management in the state.
โIt could be an experiment and Iโm sure the governor too will be magnanimous enough to reverse such a decision if itโs not working,โ Tinubu assured the operators.
Vice Chairman of the association, David Oriyemi, lamented the disengagement of PSP operators has led to loss of over 25,000 direct jobs, saying the 350 operators have suffered economic losses since the policy came on board.
He appealed to Tinubu to help prevail on Governor Ambode to consider their plights and reengage them since they have over a decade expertise in waste management.
