Olawunmi Ajibike
Members of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers in Ogun State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest at the Ogun State House of Assembly complex, urging Governor Dapo Abiodun to remove the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, from office.
The protesters accused Oresanya and the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), Farouk Akintunde, of actions they alleged are destabilising the state’s waste management system.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the association’s chairman, Kunle Adesanya, claimed that Oresanya was using Akintunde to undermine the leadership of the Managing Director of OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye.
Akintunde, who previously served as Special Adviser on Environment, was reassigned on February 18 as Special Adviser to the Ogun State Waste Management Authority.
Adesanya further alleged that the commissioner had been recognising and supporting a splinter faction within the association despite an interlocutory injunction issued by a High Court restraining such recognition. According to him, the action amounts to contempt of court.
“Ola Oresanya is encouraging a group of suspended members of the association to parade themselves as legitimate representatives. Since the matter is already before the court, they are not supposed to be recognised or invited to meetings,” Adesanya said.
The protesters also accused the agency of cancelling valid registrations issued to vendors during Hunye’s tenure and directing them to reapply, a move they described as a return to the era of multiple registrations and alleged corruption.
“All registrations and certificates issued when Hunye was in office have been cancelled, and vendors have been asked to register again. That is not supposed to happen,” Adesanya added.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Ola Oresanya Must Go,” “Gov Dapo Abiodun, Save Our Soul,” “Multiple Registration of Vendors Must Stop,” and “Farouk Must Not Cancel Our Registration,” the protesters called on the governor to intervene, warning that the state’s waste management sector could collapse if the situation is not urgently addressed.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye, has dismissed reports that he was removed from office, stating that he is currently on compulsory leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Hunye clarified the situation while addressing journalists on Thursday after appearing before the Ogun State House of Assembly.
His hearing before the Assembly, initially scheduled for March 12, has now been rescheduled to March 16, 2026.
“I was not sacked. I was directed to proceed on leave to allow for an investigation into allegations against me. The letter is clear, and any claim suggesting that I was dismissed is a distortion of the facts,” Hunye said.
Reacting to the allegations in a telephone conversation with journalists, Oresanya denied any involvement with the association or the internal affairs of OGWAMA.
“I don’t know any association. I don’t deal with them, and I am not working in OGWAMA. Those allegations are their own claims and have nothing to do with me. If anyone has proof, they should present it,” he said.
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