LJLA unveils Waste-to-Energy Project to end Open Defecation in Lagos

The Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA) has launched an ambitious waste-to-energy initiative aimed at tackling open defecation in Lagos by converting human waste into clean biogas, marking a significant step towards improving public sanitation, environmental sustainability and renewable energy generation.

The initiative, known as “Pee-Po-to-Power Lagos (WEEP – Waste-to-Energy Project),” will debut at Ojota Bus Stop, where an existing public toilet has been transformed into a modern sanitation facility powered by biodigester technology capable of converting human waste into clean energy.

Speaking at a press briefing held on Friday at the Baganda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, the Project Team Lead, Dr. Bamidele Yokan Thomas, said the initiative was conceived after extensive consultations with transport workers, traders, commuters and residents to identify the behavioural, cultural and accessibility factors sustaining open defecation across the state.

He explained that Ojota was selected as the pilot location because of its high daily human traffic and the presence of an existing public convenience that could be upgraded into a model sanitation hub.

According to Thomas, the project seeks to redefine sanitation by turning human waste into a valuable resource capable of improving public health, reducing environmental pollution and supporting Lagos’ clean energy ambitions.

He added that the project team would lead a 10-kilometre Walk Against Open Defecation on Saturday, beginning from Allen Avenue and ending at Ojota Bus Stop, with between 500 and 700 participants expected to join the advocacy campaign aimed at promoting better sanitation practices and discouraging open defecation.

Providing insight into the technical design of the project, Head of Projects, Hamzat Sirajudeen, said the multidisciplinary team studied sanitation models from several countries, including India, before adopting an anaerobic biodigester system considered most suitable for Lagos.

He disclosed that the facility is built around a 30-cubic-metre biodigester, one of the largest designed for a public sanitation project in Nigeria, with the capacity to process waste generated by at least 350 users daily.

Sirajudeen explained that waste collected from the toilets is channelled into the biodigester, where anaerobic digestion converts it into biogas before the remaining effluent passes through a filtration system that ensures environmentally safe discharge.

He noted that the technology would significantly reduce the frequency of septic tank evacuation, extending maintenance intervals from every two weeks to potentially several years while lowering operating costs, improving hygiene and reducing environmental pollution.

He added that the project involved the complete rehabilitation of the Ojota public toilet facility, including structural upgrades, improved lighting and enhanced sanitation standards.

According to him, implementation included engineering surveys, technical planning, stakeholder consultations and collaboration with government agencies, private organisations, transport unions and host communities to ensure long-term sustainability.

Sirajudeen said Boff Construction Limited handled the renovation works, while El-Fad Concepts installed the biodigester system.

Speaking on the broader impact of the initiative, Shalom Ernest, Co-Lead for the Walk Against Open Defecation, said the project extends beyond sanitation by creating economic and environmental opportunities for nearby communities.

He explained that biogas produced from the facility would be supplied free of charge to women food vendors around Ojota, helping them reduce reliance on charcoal and other fossil fuels, lower operating costs and cut carbon emissions.

Ernest added that future phases of the project would explore converting the biogas into electricity to power the sanitation facility and surrounding public infrastructure.

Also speaking, Oluwatosin Alabi, who oversees Partnerships, Projects and Finance, described the awareness walk as part of a broader strategy to drive behavioural change and deepen public education on sanitation.

She said the initiative represents more than an infrastructure intervention, describing it as “a movement that transforms waste into value, communities into partners and environmental challenges into opportunities.”

Alabi added that the project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Lagos State THEMES Agenda, with plans to replicate the model across public sanitation facilities statewide in pursuit of a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos.