Lagos Applauds Strong Turnout as Monthly Sanitation Exercise Returns
…Ganiyu Obasa Calls for State Government to Improve Secondary Drainage Systems
The Lagos State Government has expressed satisfaction with the large turnout of residents and their active participation and compliance following the return of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
It also renewed its appeal to residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to sustain the initiative in order to ensure a cleaner Lagos and a healthier environment.
The State Head of Service, Olabode Agoro, who shared this view while leading state officials to monitor the exercise in the Agege area, commended the council chairman and residents for their full acceptance of the policy.
He assured that, over time, the monthly environmental sanitation exercise would improve, despite being its first reintroduction after a long break.
Agoro noted that sanitation should be voluntary and regarded as a collective responsibility. He clarified that movement appeared limited mainly because commercial buses were off the roads.
According to him, all residents, including transport workers, were engaged in cleaning their environment, stressing that there was no restriction on human or vehicular movement.
He pointed out that no one prefers a dirty environment, emphasizing that cleanliness promotes good health and helps prevent infections.
On his part, the council chairman, Abdul-Ghani Obasa, said the local government fully complied with the state government’s policy and initiative.
He disclosed that the council has about 250 sweepers, two compactors, and a “teapot” (waste collection vehicle) that regularly moves around communities to maintain cleanliness.
The chairman added that enforcement measures could be introduced to ensure compliance, noting that the local government takes sanitation seriously.
Obasa also called on the state government to improve secondary drainage systems to prevent flooding as the rainy season approaches.
Across the state, many Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas mobilised residents to participate in the sanitation exercise, which had been suspended years ago following a lawsuit challenging restrictions on movement.
A Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris, had in March 2015 nullified the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, particularly the aspect that restricted citizens’ movement between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
