Dapo Abiodun appoints Farook Akintunde as OGWAMA MD after vendor protests and leadership controversy in Ogun State

The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, on Friday appointed Farook Akintunde as Special Adviser and Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority in Abeokuta, with immediate effect, in a decisive leadership overhaul at the state’s waste management agency.

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The appointment, announced in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday by the Public Relations Officer of the authority, Rotimi Oduniyi, followed the removal of the former Managing Director, Abayomi Hunye, from office.

Oduniyi stated that Akintunde replaces Hunye, who was relieved of his duties at the agency.

Congratulating the new appointee, Abiodun urged Akintunde to deploy his experience in the environment sector over the past five years to strengthen operational efficiency and deliver effective waste management across Ogun State.

The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, also congratulated Akintunde and assured him of the ministry’s full support in advancing the administration’s vision of a cleaner and safer state.

In his response, Akintunde sought the cooperation of management and staff of the authority, pledging to improve service delivery and enhance operational standards.

The development comes weeks after members of the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, staged a protest at the Governor’s Office in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, demanding the removal of Hunye.

The protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Hunye must go” and “Gov Abiodun, rescue us,” accusing the former managing director of high-handedness and extortion.

The Chairman of the association, Opeoluwa Balogun, alleged that Hunye imposed multiple levies, increased licensing fees from N100,000 to N200,000 and introduced compulsory workshop payments.

Balogun said members had endured significant hardship and claimed repeated complaints to both Hunye and the Commissioner for Environment yielded no result.

Reacting to the allegations before his removal, Hunye denied any wrongdoing. Hunye described the protest as resistance to regulatory reforms and due process enforcement.

Hunye maintained that the review of licensing fees followed consultation and noted that vendors had paid for 2024 and 2025 without objection.

Hunye further alleged that a cartel among some vendors had manipulated allocations through multiple company registrations and said his enforcement of a one-company-per-person policy triggered opposition.

Hunye added that he removed an official allegedly involved in the practice and refused to permit what he described as an illegal arrangement to continue.

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The appointment of Akintunde signals what observers describe as a pivotal reset in the leadership of the state’s waste management authority, as the administration seeks to restore confidence and stabilise operations in a sector critical to public health and environmental sustainability.