Popular Nigerian skitmaker and comedienne Apaokagi Maryam, widely known as Taaooma, has drawn national attention to a growing environmental crisis in Lagos after sharing a video of heaps of refuse dumped along a major road median in the state.
In the video posted on her official X account, Taaooma filmed long stretches of garbage piled on the median along the Ikotun, Ejigbo and Egbeda axis, a densely populated corridor in Lagos. The footage shows mounds of waste spilling onto the road as vehicles, traders and pedestrians move around it as though it were a normal part of the landscape.
Visibly disturbed, the comedienne used her platform to call out the relevant authorities, tagging the Lagos Waste Management Authority, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab. Her message was direct: the situation has become unbearable and requires urgent government intervention.
Her post quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions from Lagos residents who said the scenes in her video were not isolated. Many users replied that similar piles of uncollected refuse have become a common sight across several parts of the state, especially on the mainland.
One user, identifying as a public relations professional, responded that the problem extended far beyond the Ikotun–Ejigbo–Egbeda corridor. According to him, areas such as Shomolu, Mushin, Ketu, Oshodi, Surulere and Yaba are also battling with visible, persistent waste buildup. He described the situation starkly, saying that “everywhere” on the mainland now appears dirty.
Another resident lamented that Mushin, one of Lagos’s most densely populated neighbourhoods, has also been hit hard by irregular waste collection. He claimed that waste trucks had not visited his street for about three weeks, a significant delay in a community where households generate large volumes of refuse daily. His comment raised questions about the current efficiency and coverage of the state’s waste management system.
Several respondents pointed to what they see as a decline in the performance of Private Sector Participants, the franchise operators contracted to collect household waste in many parts of Lagos. One user recounted that it took two months for refuse to be evacuated from his residence. According to him, action was only taken after he threatened to escalate the matter directly to the Commissioner for the Environment. He described the delay as “completely unacceptable,” reflecting a growing frustration among residents who pay for waste services but say they are not getting value.
Beyond complaints about inconvenience and aesthetics, some Lagosians are increasingly worried about the public health implications of the mounting garbage. One social media user said a neighbour had moved out of their estate “till further notice” because of what he described as “mountains of garbage,” a “horrid smell” and fears of a possible epidemic. With Lagos’s tropical climate and frequent rains, uncollected waste can quickly become a breeding ground for flies, rodents and disease.
Another commentator, reflecting on the broader state of sanitation in the city, described the transition from the festive season to the new year as a slide from “Detty December” to “Dirty January.” He argued that the current situation is the worst he has seen in Lagos in decades, drawing a comparison with the early 2000s, when the state was still struggling to overhaul its waste management framework.
Taaooma’s intervention has once again highlighted the power of social media influencers to shape public discourse and push governance issues into the spotlight. Known primarily for her comedic skits that often satirise everyday Nigerian life, she has in recent years increasingly used her platform to comment on social issues, from police conduct to public service delivery.
Her decision to film and share the state of the Ikotun–Ejigbo–Egbeda median appears to have resonated with many Lagos residents who feel that their complaints about waste have gone unheard. By tagging the key agencies and officials responsible for environmental management, she effectively turned a localised grievance into a public petition, amplifying the voices of communities that say they are living with the consequences of systemic lapses.
The video also underscores a recurring challenge in Lagos: the tension between rapid urban growth and the capacity of public infrastructure to keep pace. With a population estimated in the tens of millions and a constant influx of new residents, the city generates thousands of tonnes of waste daily. Managing that volume requires not only efficient collection and disposal systems but also sustained funding, enforcement of environmental laws and public cooperation.
Environmental advocates have long argued that when formal waste systems falter, residents often resort to indiscriminate dumping, using road medians, canals and vacant plots as unofficial dumpsites. Over time, these sites become entrenched, normalised and increasingly difficult to clear. The scenes captured in Taaooma’s video appear to fit that pattern: refuse stacked in the middle of a busy road, with everyday life continuing around it.
