The Lagos State Government has announced the reintroduction of monthly environmental sanitation in the state, effective from July. The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made the announcement in a video clip shared on the Lagos State Environmental social media page on X.
“The Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the state executive council have approved the re-introduction of the monthly sanitation,” Wahab said in Yoruba language. “The governor will announce it officially for the exercise to commence this month.”
The monthly environmental sanitation was previously stopped in 2016 due to the state’s rapid growth and environmental challenges. Then Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, had said: “Lagos has grown exponentially with the attendant environmental problems associated with managing 20 million people. The environmental laws and procedures being practised in the state have not been able to match the growth and the dream of a 24-hour economy.”
However, the recent flooding in parts of Lagos may have prompted the government to reconsider the exercise. Wahab’s announcement suggests that the government is now committed to addressing the environmental issues affecting the state.
“The reintroduction of the monthly sanitation exercise is a welcome development,” said a resident of Lagos. “It will help keep our environment clean and healthy.”
The exercise is expected to commence in July, and the government is expected to provide further details on the schedule and guidelines for the sanitation.
