Denies viral video
Benjamin Omoike l Sunday, Sept 20, 2020
LAGOS, Nigeria – Management of Theorams, makers of the controversial Lagos State Vehicle Waste Basket have denied the accusation that they are a fraud, following a statement from Lagos State Ministry of Environment denying their operation.
It will be recalled that the Ministry of Environment, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, had said there is no unit under the Ministry called Lagos State Vehicle Waste Basket, which mandates vehicle owners in the state to purchase the state branded waste basket and be placed in their vehicles.
The denial came following a video, which went viral on social media, where uniformed personnel were seeing promoting the sale of branded waste baskets on behalf of the state government.
The Commissioner had said such unit does not exist and described the people as fraudsters. He also urged the public to report anyone found doing such to the police.
However, while reacting to the statement, the Managing Director, Theorams and Sons Ventures, operators of the Lagos State Vehicle Waste Basket, Apostle Richard Oladele, said the company was duly approved by the Ministry of Transportation to produce and sell waste baskets to vehicle owners in the state, as a way of preventing indiscriminate disposal of waste by motorists.
“Towards the end of the last administration, I applied to the governor for approval for sale of branded waste baskets to vehicle owners. The then Chief of Staff minuted the letter to Ministry of Transportation for approval. We had agreement with the Ministry that if we could do it well, we should go ahead. Approval letter was given to us by the Ministry dated September 12, 2018, but I told them there is no way this could be effective if we don’t enforce it,” Oladele said.
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He added: “The ministry promised to write letters to Agencies like Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and other enforcement Agencies to cooperate with us, which they did. The letter was dated August 8, 2020, signed by one O.M Ojowuro on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, and addressed to the General Manager, LASTMA, directing the Agency to ensure strict enforcement of the project.
“Letters were also written to National Union of Radio Transport Workers, NURTW, Lagos State Task Force, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, ZONE 2, the State Director, DSS, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA; the Director, Vehicle Inspection Services, VIS, Road Transport Employer Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, Taxis and Motors, T&M, notifying them of the approval by the Ministry of Transportation for us to commence the sales of waste basket, as well as for them to assist us in enforcement.”
Oladele said the letters were duly acknowledged, while meetings were also held with the stakeholders on its implementation.
He said letters were also written to the Ministry of Environment, notifying them of their agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, on the sale of waste baskets to vehicle owners, and asked for cooperation from the ministry.
He described the viral video as the handiwork of impersonators, who have been making efforts to hijack the project from the company, adding that a certain Councillor in one of the Local Governments, had been going around collecting illegal dues from companies and individuals, as well as selling branded waste baskets of other states to vehicle owners in Lagos.
Oladele added that the arrested enforcement Agents in the viral video, did not work for the company and are not known to them, stressing that the company only collaborates with government owned enforcement Agencies.
“The ministry of transportation recognises our operations and we are duly approved. We do not have anything to do with the people in the viral video. We are not fraud. Some impostors led by a certain councillor in Oshodi/Isolo local government have been going around trying to tarnish our image because they want to hijack the project,” he alleged.
Oladele said the operators are ready to collaborate with Ministry of Environment to collaborate with the state government, through the Ministry of Environment, to ensure cleaner Lagos in line with the THEMES agenda of Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
The approval from the Ministry of Transportation dated September 12, 2018, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Owolabi Dipeolu, and addressed to the Managing Director, Theorams and Sons, states:
“I am directed to refer to the application by Theorams and Sons Ventures for approval for sales of waste basket in public transport in Lagos State and to convey the approval of the Hon. Commissioner (T) subject to the following conditions: that the sales of the waste basket shall.not in anyway put the state in disrepute, that the sales shall be through the unions that has agreed to patronise the use of basket, that this approval shall be subject to review bi-annually, that your company shall accept these conditions in writing within seven days of the receipt of letter of approval.”
