…Hunye Denies Dismissal, Says He Is On Compulsory Leave
Zainab Abioye
Members of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Ogun State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest at the Ogun State House of Assembly complex, demanding the immediate sack of the state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, over alleged interference in the waste management sector.
The protesters accused Oresanya and the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, Farouk Akintunde, of actions capable of destabilising the state’s waste management system.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Ola Oresanya Must Go,” “Gov Dapo Abiodun, Save Our Soul,” “Multiple Registration of Vendors Must Stop,” and “Farouk Must Not Cancel Our Registration,” the demonstrators urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently intervene to prevent what they described as administrative recklessness in the sector.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Chairman of the Association, Kunle Adesanya, alleged that the commissioner was using Akintunde as a tool to undermine the leadership of the Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, Abayomi Hunye.
Adesanya claimed that Akintunde, who was recently redeployed as Special Adviser to OGWAMA after previously serving as Special Adviser on Environment, had begun policies that could reverse gains recorded in the sector.
He further alleged that the commissioner was backing a splinter faction of the association despite a subsisting interlocutory injunction of a High Court which bars the recognition of that group.
Adesanya said, “Ola Oresanya is instigating that group of suspended members of the association to parade themselves. Since the matter is in court, they are not supposed to be recognised or invited to meetings. It is uncalled for in a case that is already before the court.”
The association also accused the OGWAMA leadership of cancelling valid licences issued to vendors during Hunye’s tenure and asking them to reapply, a move they described as illegal and exploitative.
“The second issue is that all registrations done and certificates issued while Hunye was in office have been cancelled and vendors are now being asked to register again. That is not supposed to be,” Adesanya added.
The protesters appealed to the governor and the state lawmakers to intervene urgently to prevent what they described as the collapse of the waste management sector in Ogun State.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye, has dismissed reports that he had been sacked from office.
Hunye clarified that he was only directed to proceed on compulsory leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations against him.
Addressing journalists after appearing before the Ogun State House of Assembly on Thursday, Hunye said the situation had been misrepresented by some media outlets.
His hearing before the Assembly, earlier scheduled for Thursday, March 12, was subsequently shifted to Monday, March 16, 2026.
“I was not sacked. I was directed to proceed on leave to allow for an investigation into allegations levelled against me. The letter is clear on this; any claim to the contrary is a distortion of the facts,” he said.
However, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, denied the allegations levelled against him by the protesting vendors.
Speaking during a telephone interview with journalists, Oresanya said he had no dealings with the association and was not involved in the affairs of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority.
“I don’t know any association. I don’t deal with them and I am not working in OGWAMA. Those allegations are their own imagination and I have nothing to do with that. If anyone has proof, they should bring it forward,” the commissioner said.
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