Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria 1(1) 1993 DOI: 10.36108/ssan/3991.05.0170
GARBAGE CRISIS AND FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION IN
LAGOS STATE
F. O. Nyemutu Roberts
ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, it has been part of state policy in Nigeria to mobilize Nigerians into a state of consciousness for a cleaner environment. This was justified on objective grounds of aesthetics and public health — an emerging priority for most African and Third world cities. However, the manner of this ‘mobilization’ raises serious questions for contemporary Nigerian -political economy along two planes. These are the power implications for local institutions of the state constitutionally charged with the responsibility for environmental sanitation under Nigeria’s federal structure; and the consequences of preferred state solutions for the welfare of the underprivileged in society. These concerns assume significance in the context of the on-going political and economic reforms simultaneously designed to enhance local power as represented by local government, and improve the welfare of local clients of the state. This article addresses the problem.