*Hunye
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), Mr. Abayomi Hunye, has dismissed allegations against him raised by a group of Waste Management Vendors who staged a public protest on Monday.
The vendors staged a protest in Abeokuta on Monday over what they said was alleged extortion, arbitrary levies, and attempts to edge out long-standing operators in the state’s scrap and recycling sector.
But in an official statement issued at a press conference on Tuesday, Hunye said the individuals behind the protest were suspended by their own association on November 20, 2023, long before his appointment as head of the waste management agency.
He explained that upon assuming office, he made it clear that OGWAMA would not tolerate or shield any form of illegality, stressing that his refusal to compromise institutional standards was the real reason behind the protest.
He said: “The individuals involved in this protest were suspended by their own association on 20th November, 2023, long before I assumed office as the MD/CEO of OGWAMA. Prior to my appointment, there were several petitions written against this group to OGWAMA and other relevant security and oversight institutions, including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Ogun State House of Assembly, and the Nigeria Police Force, by the leadership of their association.
“The suspension of these individuals by their association was based on allegations of fraud, misrepresentation, and forgery, which were duly documented. Upon assumption of office, I made it clear that OGWAMA would not aid, abet, or condone any form of illegality. My firm refusal to compromise institutional standards or shield wrongdoing is the real reason behind the current protest.”
Reacting to claims that he personally collected money from the group, the OGWAMA boss described the allegation as surprising and false, noting that all payment records show that such funds were paid directly into the coffers of the Ogun State Government, not to him or any individual.
Hunye further disclosed that the agency has introduced impartial, transparent, and accountable operational policies, including the discontinuation of multiple and illegal registrations by individuals, a practice he said the protesting group strongly opposed because of the benefits they previously enjoyed.
“My position remains clear and consistent: the association must resolve its internal disputes internally, while OGWAMA will continue to uphold the law and will neither tolerate nor overlook illegal activities under any guise,” he said.
The OGWAMA MD reassured residents of Ogun State of his commitment to integrity, transparency, and due process, urging the public to disregard the claims of the protesters, which he described as an attempt to pressure the agency into allowing illegal practices.
*The protesters
Speaking at a press conference, Chairman of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Ogun state, Mr Adesanya Kunle, confirmed that the protesters had been suspended indefinitely since 2023, insisting they are no longer authentic executives of the Association.
Adesanya also disclosed that the group subsequently formed another association named “Association of Waste Managers, Vendors and Recyclers of Nigeria”, without approval from the state government.
He said: “All these people parading themselves as the authentic members of the association are not. They have been suspended since 2023 due to illegal practices which are against OGWAMA and the state government. They were involved in multiple atrocities and they were suspended for that. I wrote the then Commissioner of Police and the Commissioner for Environment and copied the DSS.
“Part of the policies of the state government that a company must not register more than one venture, but these people were going against that policy.
“The reason they staged the protest against the SA/MD, Mr Abayomi Hunyen was because he is a man who would not condone corruption and these set of people wanted him to approve or embrace their corrupt acts and because they couldn’t have their way, they decided to level unfounded allegations against the MD.”
