Now that his benefactor and pillar of support Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is leaving office, Niyi Makanjuola, the CEO of waste management outfit Visionscape is finding out that joy has many friends but trouble is an orphan.

For the past four years, he has feasted fat on government largesse; now the tap is about to run dry and drought beckons.

The thought of being cut adrift from the source of all his wealth is a scary thought for Niyi. He has been keeping late nights and wracking his brains over the issue.

His company, Visionscape which rode roughshod over the waste management sector during Ambode’s tenure has fallen out of favour with the general public. It has become a pariah to many due to the perceived high handedness of the company when it was still surfing the wave of sole government patronage.

Not a few people are indifferent to Niyi’s current plight. He has been accused of arrogance and lack of respect, especially with the way Visionscape kicked many stalwarts in the waste disposal industry to the curb when it assumed supremacy over the sector in Lagos State.

As they wallowed and groaned under dwindling patronage, Niyi kept raking in millions on a daily basis. With the end in sight for his glory days, their knives are out and they are baying for his blood.

The State government had in 2017 signed an agreement with Visionscape for deployment of waste management infrastructure throughout the state in a move that sidelined traditional operators. The deal was reported to be worth a gross ₦713 million per month. With such huge fortunes courtesy of Ambode, Niyi would be forgiven for thinking that the good days would roll on forever.

As it turned out, it did not take long for trouble to come knocking. Under Visionscape’s management, the heaps of refuse, which had been cleared away by the PSPs in recent times, returned to Lagos streets with a vengeance, thereby putting the company’s capability, reliability and competency under huge scrutiny. The situation was so bad that the governor himself came under huge pressure to scrap the agreement as his “Cleaner Lagos” mantra threatened to become a huge joke amidst fears of an epidemic.

The elevation of Visionscape has been fingered as one of the things that sounded the death knell of Ambode’s second term ambition. Many of the PSPs, being active members of the APC, felt that they couldn’t throw their weight behind somebody who took away their source of livelihood. With Ambode’s ouster it didn’t take too long for the Lagos house of assembly to wade into the matter. The PSPs are back on the roads and the fate of Visionscape hangs in the balance.

Niyi is all alone, with even the outgoing governor giving him the cold shoulder these days. Ambode, mired in his own troubles, is unwilling or unable to spare much thought for Niyi, leaving him to sink or swim on his own. After a long summer of sunshine for Niyi, the cold, harsh winds of reality are blowing, and he is frozen to the bones.