The Lagos State Government says it will distribute 200,000 bins to residents as it plans to re-introduce the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, cancelled in 2016, in the state.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ,said this while speaking at a sensitisation programme held at Campos Stadium, Lagos Island on Sunday.
Recall that Mr Tokunbo Wahab, the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources , had recently said the government would re-introduce the monthly exercise.
Sanwo-Olu said the planned provision of the bins was to ensure proper waste disposal in the state.
The governor urged residents to maintain a high level of cleanliness in order to curb the menace of cholera and other diseases.
” We have made provision for the distribution of 200,000 refuse dumps to encourage proper disposal of refuse.
”It’s also for us to use this as an enlightenment and awareness campaign, given what we have seen, which is rather appalling and totally unacceptable.
“(It is unacceptable) the level of environmental nuisance people have constituted , the level of refuse, uncleanliness, the tidiness we noticed while driving round this morning.
“We want to use this to start the advocacy and the conversation around how to bring back environmental sanitation and ensure that we improve the physical cleanliness in our environment.
“The Centre of Excellence that we pride ourselves as residents, we should take up our collective and individual responsibilities at ensuring that we can make a better use of our environment,” he said.
The governor decried the dumping of refuse in manholes by some residents.
“This is unacceptable. it is a shame on the perpetrators and they don’t deserve to be among us, to destroy manholes that protect the environment from floods, from other environmental issues.
” Lagos Island is to begin the advocacy that will push round our plan to ensure that we begin a collective process of making cleanliness in our environment paramount and is something that every resident must awaken to,” he said.
He also said the state government would embark on sensitisation programmes in the media as well as public schools across the state using children as advocates to further build the culture of a cleaner environment .
” This sensitisation must start from the households, the schools, offices, markets. As a government ,we won’t tolerate it(uncleanliness) This is an advocacy, we see the need to start environmental sanitation exercise.
” We can not do it alone as a government, we need those in the community, various local government areas, in schools, as advocates.
” We are to take the messages back home that the era of uncleanliness, disregard for environmental laws is coming to an end.
“We will bring the full wrath of the law on defaulters when the exercise (sanitation) fully commences,” he said.