By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Lagos State Government has said the monthly environmental sanitation exercise may resume on or before March.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Sunday after an inspection of parts of Lagos Island.
Wahab said the exercise, suspended in November 2016 over the challenges of restricting movement in a megacity, was initially scheduled to restart last week but was delayed by logistics issues.
He noted that consultations with stakeholders were ongoing and a new date would soon be announced.
The sanitation exercise was previously observed on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The commissioner said worsening waste management challenges, including clogged drains and indiscriminate dumping, informed the planned resumption.
He stressed that the state would take tougher measures against environmental offenders.
“We just have a discipline problem, not a waste problem,” he said, warning that the government would begin enforcing stricter sanctions, particularly against traders who refuse to use waste bins and damage road medians.
Wahab also highlighted progress in the ongoing regeneration of Lagos Island, assuring residents that drainage improvements were underway.
During the inspection, officials visited Oja Oba, Idumota and Aroloya areas, among others, to review beautification and underbridge redevelopment projects being executed through public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility initiatives.