Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to make environmental cleanliness a daily habit rather than restricting sanitation to the last Saturday of every month, saying consistent community participation is essential to tackling flooding and improving public health.
She made the call on Saturday while monitoring the July edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Eputu “London” in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area alongside the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat; Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab; Permanent Secretaries and other senior government officials.
According to a statement by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Adekunle Adeshina, the First Lady commended residents for their huge turnout.
“We are very, very proud of our people. We noticed today that in Eputu London, both the children and the parents came out very early to clean their environment,” she said.
She stressed the need for sustained public awareness, particularly in view of flooding in parts of the state.
“We are making a conscious effort to create awareness among our people to ensure that they remove all the debris as much as possible,” she added.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu said involving schoolchildren in the exercise would help instill environmental responsibility from an early age, adding that students of tertiary institutions would join the monthly sanitation monitoring from August.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said construction of the Transfer Loading Stations at Olusosun and Simpson was at an advanced stage.
“The ultimate goal is that once they are completed, there’ll be a Material Recovery Facility at Ikorodu and Badagry to handle the waste. We believe we are going to get there,” he said.
Wahab urged residents to take ownership of waste management by disposing of refuse properly instead of dumping it on roads, medians and other unauthorized locations.
He noted that while Lagos was making progress in tackling indiscriminate waste disposal, sustained advocacy and enforcement remained necessary to change long-standing habits. He also advised residents to report defaulting Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) through its toll-free lines.
Meanwhile, at Badagry Local Government, where the Special Adviser on the Environment, Engr. Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, led another monitoring team, he reaffirmed the state’s commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.
He commended residents for embracing environmental sanitation as a civic responsibility and said the government was driving a behavioural change campaign through sustained public enlightenment and community engagement.
“The culture we seek to build is one where every resident takes responsibility for the environment. Poor waste disposal habits contribute significantly to environmental degradation and flooding. We must all embrace proper waste management practices to safeguard our communities,” he said.
Responding to complaints about inadequate PSP coverage in parts of Badagry, Rotimi-Akodu assured residents that the ministry would review the situation and address identified service gaps.
Earlier, Badagry Local Government Chairman, Babatunde Hunpe, thanked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for supporting environmental sustainability and said the council had continued to complement PSP operators through intervention teams, waste evacuation trucks and grassroots environmental awareness campaigns.
Also participating in the exercise, APC governorship candidate Princess Damilola Sonayan-James urged residents to keep their surroundings clean, patronise assigned PSP operators and avoid indiscriminate waste disposal.
The monitoring exercise covered Ajara Market and adjoining communities and attracted residents, traders, Community Development Committees, youth groups, students and other stakeholders.
Also present were the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji; the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite; heads of agencies and directors in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
