Members of the Ogun State chapter of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Nigeria have accused Mr. Abayomi Hunye, the Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Agency, of extortion. Hunye has categorically denied these accusations.

Hunye said that the association had defamed his reputation through the accusations and that he was thinking of taking legal action against it.


He emphasized that no association member had ever deposited funds into his personal bank account, insisting that all payments made by garbage merchants went straight into the Ogun State garbage Management Agency's official account.

"I wonder why anyone would categorize payments into government coffers as extortion," Hunye remarked, casting doubt on the veracity of the accusations.

In response to the accusations at a media conference hosted by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Ogun State on Thursday, the Managing Director provided the clarification.

According to the PUNCH, garbage vendors protested on Monday, accusing Hunye of extortion, unjustified charge increases, and high-handedness.

Hunye also defended the decision to increase the annual registration fee for waste vendors from N100,000 to N200,000, explaining that the adjustment was reached through collective agreement with members of the association.

Providing further details, he said, “From 2021, they were paying N100,000. By 2024, I held meetings with them and explained that the cost of running the agency had risen. We agreed on N200,000, which they paid for 2024 and 2025. So why the protest now?”

He further attributed the protest to his decision to cancel multiple company registrations held by some members of the association.

Explaining the issue, Hunye said, “Some members registered multiple companies, taking business opportunities meant for others. I insisted that each member should register only one company. That’s when the extortion allegations started.”

Hunye added that the association did not submit any formal complaints to OGWAMA before organising the protest.

He also disclosed that some individuals claiming to be leaders of the association had been suspended since November 2023 and advised them to either reconcile with the recognised leadership or obtain a court judgment validating their authority.

In response, the Chairman of the association, Mrs Opeoluwa Balogun, denied the existence of any faction within the group prior to the protest, alleging that the division emerged as a result of the Managing Director’s actions.

Balogun stated that she assumed leadership of the association after the tenure of the former chairman, Mr Kunle Oresanya, ended in 2023.

She insisted that the protest was organised as a last resort after several meetings with Hunye and the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, failed to address their concerns.

Balogun accused Hunye of concentrating solely on increasing registration fees while neglecting other statutory duties, including the monitoring of unlicensed waste vendors.

"We have text messages and recordings documenting our attempts to resolve these issues," she said, outlining the association's stance. The MD has disregarded valid concerns in spite of repeated attempts. To ensure that our members receive justice, we will keep up our demonstration and take all necessary legal action.

Additionally, the group rejected allegations that there are internal cabals among registered waste suppliers and encouraged Hunye to find and punish any troublesome individuals instead of taking actions that interfere with their commercial operations.