LAWMA contractor, Iron Lady hospitalised amid fraud allegations

Wuraola Williams, aka Iron Lady who is one of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority accused of fraud, has allegedly been hospitalised.

Williams, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, said she was ill and could not react to the allegations of fraud against her. She immediately cut the call.

However, a lady, who later picked her phone after The PUNCH called back, said Lagos streets were clean and that was enough proof that Iron Lady was doing her job well.

LAWMA has 652 contractors (PSP operators) covering 600 routes in Lagos State.

The contractors usually employed sweepers and supervisors, on whose behalf wage bills were submitted before payments were made by the government.

However, some of the operators were reported to have mastered the art of inflating the wage bills, through which they defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of naira.

According to sources, Williams controls 66 routes (over 10 per cent of total routes), and claims to have 2,310 workers.

She is alleged to be collecting about N80m from the government as salaries for the workers.

A source in LAWMA said the agency spent N560m every month as salaries for street sweepers and supervisors, most of whom were ghost workers.

A lady who claimed to be Williams’ personal assistant said she was indisposed to talk.

She said, “The woman you want to talk to is on the sick bed. You are talking to her PA. You can go to the 66 routes and confirm for yourself if there are sweepers there or not.

“All we know is that we have workers on all these 66 routes. And at the protest, did you see people? Did we go to sew uniforms for them? The uniform came from LAWMA office.

“She has been one of the longest serving LAWMA contractors; she’s been there for years. If she has not been effective, she will not be given the 66 routes.

“You have been walking on the streets of Lagos, have you been to any route where you cannot find LAWMA? Are the streets not clean? Go to all the 66 routes mentioned and go confirm yourself.”