By Faridat Salifu
The Lagos State government has called on traders and residents to embrace proper environmental sanitation and hygiene practices to support a cleaner, healthier city.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, made the appeal on Monday, June 30, 2025, while receiving the founder of Kokun Foundation, Mr. Olukokun Adepeju, during a roadshow and awareness visit to his office in Ikeja.
The meeting was part of a clean market sensitisation initiative led by Kokun Foundation and supported by widows and community volunteers.
Wahab said the campaign aligns with the government’s broader push for community participation in environmental upkeep and sustainable waste management.
He noted that government alone cannot achieve a clean Lagos without the full support of residents and market communities.
“The Clean Market Initiative, I am glad Kokun himself led this march,” Wahab said.
“We as a government can’t do enough without the residents’ support.”
He encouraged the foundation to continue the sensitisation drive until all residents align with government efforts to maintain hygiene in markets and public spaces.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness. That’s what all our religious books tell us,” he added.
Wahab said the state is committed to creating a safe, flood-free, and sustainable environment through strict enforcement of sanitation laws.
He warned against indiscriminate dumping of waste on roads, open spaces, canals, medians, and setbacks.
He also urged residents to maintain cleanliness in their homes, surroundings, and tertiary drains while relying on waste management officials for proper waste collection and disposal.
The commissioner condemned open defecation and urination and said defaulters would continue to face prosecution under the state’s environmental laws.
He called on traders to move their goods off the roads and into designated markets to prevent obstruction and maintain cleaner commercial spaces.
“On behalf of the LASG, we appreciate this laudable initiative,” Wahab said.
“Keep telling people about the importance of environmental sanitation.”
Responding, Kokun Foundation founder Olukokun Adepeju thanked the state government for its continued efforts to keep Lagos clean.
He said the foundation had visited several markets to sensitise traders on cleanliness and proper waste disposal.
Adepeju pledged that Kokun Foundation would sustain its outreach to market men and women to build a stronger culture of hygiene across Lagos.
“This is for the good of all residents,” he said.