Gov. Abiodun Sacks Embattled OGWAMA MD, Hunye, Appoints Farouk Akintunde As Replacement

ABEOKUTA – The end has come for the embattled and controversial Chief Executive Officer of Ogun State Waste Management Agency (OGWAMA), Hon. Abayomi Hunye as the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun terminated his appointment with immediate effect.

Hunye’s sack may not be unconnected with a series of allegations of extortion, high hardedness, diversion of public funds into his private account and abuse of office.

Recall that, on a two separate protests, the Association of Waste Management Vendors and Recyclers of Nigeria (AWMVRN), Ogun State Chapter, has accused the former OGWAMA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Abayomi Hunye, of allegedly using his office to amass wealth in pursuit of a future governorship ambition.

The association claimed that Mr Hunye had, since assuming office, allegedly engaged in extortion, abuse of office, and institutional bullying, which it said are driven by what it described as personal political aspirations.

The group alleged that the former OGWAMA boss has been accumulating wealth through “dubious and exploitative means,” citing his flamboyant lifestyle and public statements as indications of a long-term political agenda.

The group made the allegations penultimate weeks during a proteat to the governor’s office in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.

Speaking on behalf of the association, the President, Mrs. Opeoluwa Balogun, accused the OGWAMA MD of imposing what she described as arbitrary and exploitative charges on private waste operators across the state.

According to Mrs. Balogun, the annual license renewal fee payable to OGWAMA increased from ₦100,000 in 2024 to ₦205,000 in 2025, and later to ₦225,000 in 2026.

She alleged that Mr. Hunye justified the increase as a strategy to reduce the number of operators in the sector, a move the association described as a deliberate attempt to force members out of business.

She further alleged that members who failed to renew their licenses are individually threatened and compelled to pay before the end of December each year.

The association also accused the OGWAMA MD of organising mandatory seminars with registration fees initially set at ₦100,000 and later reduced to ₦50,000 following complaints, while allegedly insisting that members who did not attend must still pay or face sanctions.

She added that some members who paid the higher fee were not refunded.

The association also alleged that during a 2025 workshop organised by OGWAMA, members were required to pay ₦200,000 to display roll-up banners at designated locations, an action it described as exploitative.

Mrs. Balogun further accused Mr. Hunye of imposing fines of up to ₦500,000 on members without investigation or fair hearing, a practice she said has driven many operators out of business.

She claimed that despite over 1,000 members reportedly paying ₦50,000 each at a recent mandatory conference—amounting to about ₦50 million—participants were provided with poor feeding and no conference materials.

She further alleged that complaints were met with threats, with the OGWAMA MD allegedly claiming that only the governor, and not the Commissioner for Environment or other authorities, could question his actions.

Responding to claims attributed to Mr. Hunye that the association is illegal, Mrs. Balogun strongly refuted the allegation, stating that AWMVRN is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

She said the association’s executives have held several meetings with OGWAMA management and have documentary evidence, photographs, and records of members’ participation in OGWAMA-organised activities.

She further alleged that some records were deleted during protests and claimed the association possesses additional documentary and audio evidence, including recorded conversations.

The association also linked the alleged extortion to severe financial hardship among its members.

Also speaking, the association’s Secretary, Pastor Segun Adetula claimed that between 2025 and 2026, two to four members reportedly died after developing high blood pressure, which he attributed to stress arising from debts incurred through thrift and loan schemes created to cope with rising license fees.

Adetula accused the OGWAMA MD of abolishing quarterly consultative meetings between OGWAMA and private operators, which he said had existed since the agency was established by executive order under the Ogun State Constitution.

He further alleged that the association was denied access to ₦12.3 billion reportedly earmarked for waste management operations in 2025.

However, The Encounter News reliably gathered that, Governor Abiodun had on Friday, February 13, 2026 dismissed the Yewa-born politician from office over multiple allegations.

Meanwhile, the Governor has appointed his Special Adviser, Hon. Farouk Akintunde to immediately replaced Abayomi Hunye as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OGWAMA.

Akintunde’s appointment was confirmed in a letter dated 18th February, 2026 and signed by the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Tokunbo Talabi.

Talabi said, Akintunde’s appointment takes immediate effect.