Sanwo-Olu Decries Filth On Lagos Roads, Revives Monthly Environmental Sanitation

Amid severe waste management crisis in the state, Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday lamented massive, uncollected piles of refuse in public spaces, especially road medians in the state.

The governor who spoke at the symbolic flag-off of the monthly environmental sanitation programme organised by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, held at Mushin-Agege Motor Road corridor, Lagos, noted that a clean city is not achieved by government alone but by the daily actions of the people who live in it.

To reverse the current situation, the governor revived the monthly environmental sanitation, saying the hours between 6:30 and 8:30am every last Saturday of the month is hereby set aside as environmental sanitation in the state.

The governor, who emphasised that movement will not be restricted in the state during the two hours, appealed to the residents to voluntarily comply with the directive or face the wrath of the Environmental Management Law 2017.

He said, “The condition of our streets, our markets, our drainage channels, and our public spaces reflects how seriously we take our responsibility to one another and to the environment we share. In a city as large and dynamic as Lagos, maintaining a clean and healthy environment must remain a collective civic duty.

“Many Nigerians will remember that the Monthly Environmental Sanitation exercise was once a nationwide practice observed on the last Saturday of every month. It was a moment when citizens across the country came together to clean their surroundings, clear drains, and contribute to healthier communities.

‘’Here in Lagos, that culture of environmental responsibility became deeply embedded in the life of our communities. It reinforced a simple but important principle: that a clean city depends not only on government systems, but on the discipline and cooperation of its residents.

“As we are aware, a court judgment later brought an end to the restriction of movement that accompanied that exercise. As a government, we have always respected the rule of law and the authority of our courts. But while the enforcement mechanism changed, the responsibility to maintain a clean environment did not change. That responsibility remains with all of us.

“Today’s symbolic flag-off is therefore a renewed call to civic responsibility. It is an opportunity to revive the culture of environmental consciousness in our communities, this time driven by awareness, partnership and voluntary participation.”

Earlier, the state’s commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said, “It is our goal today to further educate residents  on the need to take ownership of  their environment  and ensure that they continuously clean  surroundings, dispose waste responsibly while acknowledging that we must sustain this as our own contribution towards maintaining a sustainable environment.

“As a government, it is our collective responsibility to continually develop strategic methods to improve the environment, ensure that it is flood free and make it conducive for residents and this can be achieved through the continuous cleaning of the environment from time to time.

“It is high time you desist totally from illegal waste disposal, trading on undesignated places, crossing the highway, burning of refuse, sleeping on bridges, patronizing of cart pushers, defecating openly amongst others. I want the residents with recalcitrant behaviour to know that the Lagos State 2017 Environmental Law is still intact. As such, the state where there no laws there are no sins.”