Lagos government declares monthly sanitation exercise to become permanent.

Seeks public collaboration

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Lagos State Government has announced that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will continue, pledging to strengthen its advocacy for voluntary cleanliness among residents to keep the city cleaner.

The statement was made over the weekend during the second edition of the reintroduced monthly Environmental Sanitation program, which was carried out across the state.

Governor Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo‑Olu’s wife attended the event in Alimosho Local Government Area, joined by the state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Rotimi Akodu, members of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), and other senior government officials. In Apapa, the state’s Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, led a team of top officials in monitoring the exercise.

Speaking to journalists, Commissioner Wahab praised the event, noting that Alimosho is among the cleanest local government areas in the state. He said, “We observed that some local governments are very clean, and this local government seems to be one of them.”

He added, “Here we cleaned some areas. What we have to do is encourage the chairman of the local government area and his team, the honourable member of the House, to do more, to engage the people in cleaning the environment.”

“You can see that they have cleaned the environment; they also have their own compactors to cart away the waste, so the chairman is well done,” Wahab continued.

He also highlighted the importance of maintaining cleanliness during holidays and festivals, stating, “We had our sallah three days ago, yesterday was a big festival for those who know, but today we must clean our environment because we have a commitment that every last Saturday of the month is for Lagos environmental sanitation day.”

Addressing the issue of commercial vehicles and resident participation, Wahab said, “In fairness to commercial buses, we didn’t find most of them on the road, just a few. We have already communicated to the right people.”

“On the citizens, we have to keep communicating with them about why they have to adopt this culture and spend two hours in a whole month to clean up their environment,” he said. “We are trying to create a culture that becomes the dominant way of life in Lagos State. After a while, we will also conduct assessments.”

Regarding movement restrictions, Wahab clarified, “We are not imposing restrictions. We are fine with what I have seen.” He added, “We are taking the message of conviction. This has been off for almost ten years, so bringing it back with a different demographic, the youth population, means we must find a way to communicate it.”

Head of Service Mr. Bode Agoro echoed the commissioner’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of a clean environment. “We are serious about cleaning our environment,” he said. “Nobody likes to live in a dirty environment. You don’t feel good, you don’t feel happy, and you fall sick. Look at all sorts of illnesses, airborne diseases, going right all over the place.”

“So the more we clean our environment, the healthier we’ll be. It’s encouraging, and it can be better for sure,” Agoro added.

He urged residents to embrace voluntary compliance, stating, “It’s not about punishment. It’s about encouraging them to desist from such behavior.”

“Of course, there are sanctions. If you throw dirt on the road or do similar acts, there are sanctions. And there’s enforcement,” he said. “The Ministry of Environment will do the appropriate enforcement. If you violate the sanitation law, there must be sanctions.”

“But then we want a situation where we don’t need to enforce those sanctions. We want to create an environment where people automatically know that it is wrong to throw dirt on the road.”

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