By Barbara Nwaiwu
The Lagos State Government has directed residents across the state to remain indoors and participate in the May edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday as part of efforts to promote cleanliness and reduce flooding.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the directive in a statement issued on Thursday, urging residents to dedicate the exercise period from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to cleaning their homes, surroundings, drainage channels and public spaces within their communities.
Wahab commended residents for the level of participation recorded during the April sanitation exercise, which marked the return of the programme after years of suspension, and called for greater compliance during the May edition.
He described environmental sanitation as a critical component of healthy living and sustainable development, stressing that the exercise had become a permanent programme in the state.
“Every resident is expected to clean his environment and clear the drains in front of his or her tenements,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the state government has deployed compactor trucks and other waste evacuation equipment across Lagos to ensure prompt collection and disposal of refuse generated during and after the sanitation exercise.
Wahab disclosed that monitoring teams would be deployed across the state to ensure compliance, adding that all 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) would participate in supervising the exercise.
He said the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, would lead a team of government officials to monitor compliance in Alimosho Local Government Area, while the Lagos State Head of Service, Olabode Agoro, would oversee monitoring activities in Apapa Local Government Area.
The commissioner added that environmental health officers and enforcement personnel would be stationed in different communities to monitor adherence to sanitation regulations.
He warned that residents who fail to clean their surroundings risk receiving abatement notices and possible prosecution under the Lagos State Environmental Management Law of 2017.
Wahab also cautioned residents against indiscriminate waste disposal and the use of cart pushers for refuse collection, describing the practice as illegal.
He noted that the operations of Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators had been expanded to cover more communities, providing residents with approved channels for waste disposal.
The commissioner said the monthly sanitation exercise forms part of the state’s broader environmental management and flood control measures, urging residents to adopt a lasting culture of cleanliness.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to maintaining a clean and flood free environment, Wahab advised Lagosians to avoid dumping refuse in drainage channels and other unauthorised locations.
Major transport unions are also expected to support the exercise by restricting vehicle operations from parks and garages during the sanitation period, according to state officials.
