As refuse litters the medians of many roads in the Lagos metropolis, the state government on Saturday threatened to slam tougher sanctions on any establishment or individuals caught dumping refuse indiscriminately in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab issued the warning when he and the wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, led residents of Eputu London in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, LGA, in the July edition of the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Wahab said the state government was intensifying efforts to improve waste management infrastructure.
He cited ongoing work at the Olusosun waste management facility, where a waste transfer loading station and material recovery facility are being developed to improve waste processing and disposal.
According to him, “the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and Private Sector Participants, PSP, operators are strengthening waste collection services, while the government continues advocacy and public enlightenment.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure efficient waste management across the state. LAWMA and PSP operators are putting in significant effort, but residents must also take ownership of the process.
“People should not dump refuse on road medians, drainage channels or public spaces because those facilities belong to all of us.”
Wahab, however, acknowledged that changing long-established habits would take time but expressed confidence that sustained campaigns, consistency and enforcement would produce results.
The commissioner therefore urged residents experiencing challenges with waste collection to report to LAWMA instead of dumping refuse indiscriminately, especially in drainage systems.
“If residents are paying for waste collection services, service providers must deliver. Where there are lapses, people should contact LAWMA so that appropriate action can be taken.”
He added that the government would continue to combine advocacy, public sensitisation and sanctions where necessary to sustain environmental compliance across the state.
“Advocacy remains our first approach, but sanctions will be applied where necessary,” he stated.
Also speaking with journalists, the wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu stressed the need for sustained environmental responsibility and commended the community for what she described as growing environmental consciousness.
She said residents had gone beyond the designated day of last Saturday of every month by beginning cleanup activities three days earlier, a development she said shows the campaign is yielding results.
According to her, “We are very proud of our people. When we arrived in Eputu London, we discovered that residents had already started cleaning their environment three days before the exercise.
“They did not wait until the last Saturday of the month. That shows that people are becoming more conscious of their environment and are taking ownership of it.”
Mrs Sanwo-Olu noted the large turnout of both adults and children despite challenges posed by the rainy season and flooding in parts of Lagos.
She hailed schoolchildren for participating in the exercise, noting that they joined council ‘s exercise as early as 6:30 a.m.
The governor’s wife stressed the importance of involving young people in environmental management even as she called for a daily culture of environmental cleanliness.
“We are catching them young. These children have been here very early this morning because whatever values we pass on to them today, they will continue in the future.
“By the grace of God, from next month, students of tertiary institutions will also participate. This is a collective responsibility,” she said.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu therefore, urged Lagos residents to continue participating in the monthly exercise, which is held on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m, with emphasis on maintaining daily sanitation habits.
Meanwhile, in a simultaneous exercise, Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and Water Resources, Engr, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, led other senior government team to Badagry Local Government.
He assured residents that the state government would not relent in its campaign against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other environmental violations.
Akodu also commended Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) in Badagry for their participation in the exercise, noting that the inclusion of students in the monthly sanitation programme was aimed at raising future environmental advocates.
“The involvement of students is deliberate. We want to catch them young and groom them as environmental champions who will protect the future of Lagos,” he said
