Lagos State government has announced that the monthly sanitation exercise, previously observed in the state, may resume by March.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Sunday after an inspection exercise in the Lagos Island area of the state.
Wahab told journalists that he strongly believed the exercise would return on or before March, noting that engagements were ongoing.
The monthly environmental sanitation, previously held on the last Saturday of every month from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., was suspended in November 2016, with the government citing the challenges of restricting movement in a megacity.
However, worsening waste management issues, including clogged drainage systems and indiscriminate dumping, have prompted calls for its return.
“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,” the commissioner said.
He said the state would take stronger actions to curb the waste problem, including taking a tough stance on environmental violators.
“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),” the commissioner said.
He highlighted the progress of the ministry’s ongoing regeneration project on Lagos Island, urging residents who had been complaining about drainage problems in the area to be patient.
“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.”
Earlier, Wahab led officials of the ministry, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Akodu, and permanent secretaries in the ministry, to the Oja Oba area on the island, where beautification is being planned under the bridge.
“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 under bridge.
“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 said.
“The approach of the ministry is that we will keep clearing while we seek a permanent solution. Obalende Under bridge and Ijora Under bridge have been completed, with a football pitch planned at Ijora Under bridge 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 places visited included Oja Oba Under bridge, Idumota Under bridge, Aroloya Street, Lagos Island and its environs, Alfred Rewane Collector, Bourdillon Collector, Macpherson Collector, and Five Cowries Creek, Ikoyi.
