Bennett Oghifo
Lagos’ mounting waste challenge has triggered renewed private-sector intervention, with HBM Nigeria Plc, formerly known as Lafarge Africa Plc, taking its campaign for proper waste handling directly to traders at the Oyingbo Ultra-Modern Market.
The building solutions company, manufacturer of cement, ready-mix, mortar and Plaster of Paris products, marked the 2026 World Cleanup Day by sensitising traders on waste generation, sorting and disposal, while providing bins and waste management kits for the market.
The initiative, organised in partnership with FABE International Foundation on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, also included practical demonstrations on waste segregation, distribution of branded merchandise and provision of parasols to support the engagement.
The intervention comes as Lagos continues to contend with the environmental and public-health pressures associated with waste generated by its expanding population, commercial activities and densely populated communities.
For businesses operating in markets such as Oyingbo, the waste challenge has direct implications for trading conditions, consumer health and the overall attractiveness of commercial spaces.
Speaking during the exercise, Director, HBM Eco, Temitope Dosumu, said tackling the problem required changing how waste is handled from the point it is generated.
She said the market was deliberately selected because of its strategic commercial importance and the large number of people who pass through it daily.
“We chose Oyingbo Market because it is quite strategic. People need to learn the purpose of waste management. What you see as waste today is actually a resource. Sensitisation is key. A clean environment is a healthy space,” Dosumu said.
She particularly highlighted food waste, stressing that greater awareness among traders could help change attitudes towards waste and encourage better separation and handling of discarded materials.
According to her, educating traders at the point of waste generation was critical to reducing indiscriminate disposal and improving the quality of the environment in and around the market.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FABE International Foundation, Temitope Okunnu, said the partnership was driven by a shared commitment to responsible waste management, particularly in communities where commercial activities generate significant volumes of refuse.
Okunnu said market communities should remain a priority in waste-management campaigns because of their contribution to the daily waste stream.
Also speaking, Head, Street Sanitation Services, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Lanre Shasore, commended HBM Nigeria and FABE International Foundation for supporting the initiative.
Shasore said the campaign created an opportunity to engage traders directly and reinforce the need for proper waste management practices at the market level.
The Iyaloja of Oyingbo Market, Olateju Ramot, expressed appreciation to HBM Nigeria and its partners, saying the intervention would encourage traders and other market users to take greater responsibility for the cleanliness of their environment.
The Oyingbo campaign also places emphasis on waste segregation, a practice that can improve the recovery of recyclable materials and reduce the quantity of refuse requiring final disposal.
For HBM Nigeria, the exercise demonstrates how corporate interventions can address practical environmental challenges affecting commercial communities while strengthening awareness among businesses and consumers.
The company’s focus on waste from the point of generation also shifts attention from clean-up exercises alone to everyday practices that determine how much refuse enters the city’s waste stream.
With markets serving as major centres of economic activity and waste generation, sustained engagement with traders could become an important component of efforts to improve environmental conditions across Lagos.