Former Governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has debunked reports that he owns Visionscape, the foreign for waste management.company engaged by Lagos State GovernmentHe said he does not have a penny stake in the firm.
Tinubu spoke on Friday evening while addressing members of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, also known as PSP operators, in his Bourdillon Ikoyi, Lagos residence, who submitted a petition to him.
The National leader of the All Progressive Congress(APC) dismissed media reports the conglomerate belongs to him as untrue and false.
“I beg to correct something and I think I have to do it publicly; the rumour I’ve heard all over the state and the social media is that I am the one who brought a foreign company.
“I am not the owner of Visionscape. Categorically, I’m telling you today, I have no penny…Yes, that is the truth,” Tinubu said
He said the decision to bring in the company to handle waste collection and management was solely that of Lagos state government and has nothing to do with him.
Revealed!: Tinubu intervenes in waste managers, LASG rift and…
Tinubu however assured the operators he is concerned about their plights, promising to meet with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the shortest time possible to find a lasting solution to the waste management crisis in the state.
“I’m concerned as a leader, resident and a father in the state that heaps of refuse are gradually returning to Lagos.
“When driving around Lagos, I have seen a buildup of refuse. Be rest assured that we’re not going to allow that to happen.”
The Cleaner Lagos Initiative, he explained, was conceived with good intentions, stating “personally, I think Visionscape was brought in to address the complexities of waste collection and management in the state.’
“It could be an experiment and I’m sure the governor too will be magnanimous enough to reverse such a decision if it’s not working,” Tinubu assured the operators.
Vice Chairman of the association, David Oriyemi, lamented the disengagement of PSP operators has led to loss of over 25,000 direct jobs, saying the 350 operators have suffered economic losses since the policy came on board.
He appealed to Tinubu to help prevail on Governor Ambode to consider their plights and reengage them since they have over a decade expertise in waste management.
