Waste governance agenda in Nigerian cities: A comparative analysis

Waste is the most visible evidence of inefficiency in any environment. As in many Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, the waste problem in Nigeria is of serious concern to stakeholders. While some investigation to understand the nature of the drivers and barriers affecting sustainable solid waste management in Nigeria has been undertaken, there is little understanding of the interface between solid waste management and governance. This paper is based on a study carried out between 2008 and 2010. The study reviews available literature on solid waste governance in Nigerian cities with a view to making some comparisons and proffering new strategies to enhance waste governance. Findings indicate that absence of good governance in the case studied has negatively impacted on solid waste management performance. This situation has tended to influence individuals to resort to self help. Results also indicate that a rethinking of the current top-down approach to waste governance in Nigeria is urgently required. The main lessons from this study are: (1) a number of governance-related barriers currently constrain sustainable solid waste management (2) public–private partnership is an effective waste management strategy in evolving political systems such as Nigeria (3) mainstreaming the informal sector into the waste management infrastructure in Nigeria will enhance efficiency. •Top-down waste governance model adopted in Abuja and Lagos is unsustainable.•Government influence is responsible for conflicts and inefficiency in waste management.•Governance reforms are yielding significant improvements in performance indicators.•Further reforms should prioritise private sector involvement in waste governance.