GRV Criticises Lagos Government’s Rushed Plastic Ban

Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, GRV, has again strongly criticised the Lagos State Government for their sudden ban on Styrofoam and single-use plastics.

He shared his thoughts in a long post on X on Monday, January 29, questioning how the government came about this decision.

Rhodes-Vivour pointed that the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, “abruptly announced an immediate ban on Styrofoam and single use plastics without a thorough understanding of the industry or an articulation of a clear policy direction.”

He said there should be a better plan and legal support for such a big decision.

“Suppose the issue requires urgency, wouldn’t it be responsible to articulate a policy direction and back it with the appropriate legislative framework: In this case, the Lagos Plastic Policy?” he asked.

GRV also criticised the government’s approach to managing money meant for dealing with plastic waste. He asserted that “the Lagos state government, through its proposed plastic policy, wanted to control those funds and be responsible for its disbursement.

“It is this disagreement as to who controls the funds that has left the plastic policy in paralysis,” he declared. “Of course, no responsible private sector-led initiative will entrust their funds to a government that lacks transparency and accountability.”

Moreover, he submitted that regulating single-use plastics is not an easy task. He stated that the task is one that requires “thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and empathy.”

Rhodes-Vivour further said that the attempts to reduce plastic solution must “consider economic livelihood activities.” He cited a High Ambition Coalition of 58 countries led by Norway that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040, encouraging the Lagos State government to key into the “more realistic approach.”

This is not the first time the governorship aspirant is voicing out against the Lagos State government’s ban on disposable single-use plastics and Styrofoam. The 40-year-old had criticised the Lagos state government a week ago on this same issue.

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Emmanuel Ejiofor

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