The Lagos State Government has announced plans to reinstate the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which was suspended several years ago, with implementation expected to begin by March.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Sunday during an inspection tour of Lagos Island, stating that discussions were ongoing to determine a suitable date for the exercise to resume.
Wahab said he was confident the exercise would restart on or before March, noting that logistics and stakeholder engagement were currently being finalised.
“The truth is, we were meant to start last week, but we had a logistics issue. We need to find a day that is acceptable to all stakeholders.
“I strongly believe that sometime in March, we should start. It could even be earlier. We’re engaging stakeholders, and the date will be communicated as soon as possible,” he said.
The monthly sanitation exercise, formerly held on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., was halted in November 2016 due to concerns over movement restrictions in a densely populated city. However, growing environmental challenges, including blocked drainage channels and indiscriminate waste disposal, have renewed calls for its return.
Addressing the state’s waste management concerns, Wahab said stricter measures would be enforced against environmental offenders.
“We just have a discipline problem, not a waste problem. People choose to do certain things. We’ve had discussions with the LAWMA management. This time, we will be very decisive. We are going to make very hard decisions on some corridors, and we will not stop at that.
“We also realised that traders in some markets along the corridors are mostly culpable. They have bins, but they don’t want to use them and instead choose to destroy the medians.
“We won’t just stop at clearing; we will start wielding the big stick from tomorrow (Monday),” he stated.
READ ALSO:
- BREAKING: El-Rufai Charged By FG Over Alleged NSA Phone Interception
- Lagos Govt Moves To Restore Monthly Sanitation Exercise By March
- Dabiri-Erewa Condemns Latest Killing of a Nigerian In South Africa, Demands Justice
- Road to 10th AFRIMA: Winners, Artistes, Others Converge in Abidjan for Stakeholders Parley
- Otedola Visits Dangote Refinery, Celebrates Increased Production Capacity
The commissioner also spoke on the ongoing regeneration project on Lagos Island, urging residents to remain patient as work progresses.
“Regeneration of Lagos Island has been going on for months now. A while back, we had to wear rain boots in these areas, but there is progress now,” he said.
During the inspection, Wahab and his team visited several locations, including Oja Oba Underbridge, Idumota Underbridge, Aroloya Street, and surrounding areas, where plans for beautification and infrastructure upgrades are underway.
Explaining the purpose of the tour, he said, “Today’s outing is for us to formalise the usage of the Oja Oba underbridge. We’ve had proposals, more like a PPP/CSR arrangement. We have two or three parties interested in taking up the underbridge.
“We don’t just sit and give approvals, so we had to come here, see the designs, and tell them what to tweak before we give the final approvals.”
He added that similar regeneration efforts were ongoing in Obalende and Ijora, with more projects planned across the state.
“The approach of the ministry is that we will keep clearing while we seek a permanent solution. Obalende Underbridge and Ijora Underbridge have been completed, with a football pitch planned at Ijora Underbridge as part of CSR. The Oja Oba project is ongoing, so we’ve made progress little by little.
“As we clear these areas, we are also negotiating with different parties and reviewing designs to ensure we add value to each location.
“The project will be completed in phases, not all at the same time,” Wahab added.
The inspection team included top officials from the ministry and its agencies, including representatives from LAWMA, LASPARK, LASWMO, and LASWACO, among others.