Lagos plans conditional sanitation enforcement, not total restriction — Commissioner Wahab

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos state Government has announced plans to apply “conditional controlled” enforcement and not total restriction during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise billed for tomorrow, Saturday, April 25 between the hours of 6.30am and 8.30am across the State.

Recall that the return of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the State was announced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday, March 14 when he led the Deputy Governor and other state officials to monitor and clean the environment at Agege Motor Road, Mushin.

State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr.Tokunbo Wahab, made the remark at a press briefing on Friday to highlight preparations and modalities for tomorrow Saturday Monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise, held at Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

Wahab, who announced that the state government would apply “Conditional Controlled Enforcement,” as against total restriction of movement, charged all residents across the five divisions of the state to stay back at home and participate fully in the exercise.

According to Wahab, every resident is however expected to clean his environment and clear the drains in front of their tenements before going out for other businesses on Saturday.

He said enough evacuation and compactor trucks have been mobilized across the five divisions of the state for the exercise with LAWMA strategically positioned to immediately evacuate all solid waste and debris to the dumpsites.

He stressed that as a demonstration of support, the major transport unions in Lagos State have pledged not to deploy their vehicles on the roads from the major parks/ terminus between the hours of 6.30am and 8.30am on Saturday.

He said the decision of the State Government to reintroduce the monthly exercise is a result of the persistent clamor of residents who believe that a particular time and day should be set aside for all residents to clean their surroundings.

He urged community development associations (CDA) to work on their members all over the state to ensure the success of the exercise and reenact the symbolism which the monthly sanitation exercise represented before it was suspended.

Wahab stated that all Local Governments, LGA, and Local Council Development Area, LCDA, in the state and some private companies, like Larfarge Nigeria Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials giant are fully on board for Saturday’s sanitation by providing tools and vehicles to cart away the refuse generated.

The Commissioner warned that environmental health officers and other enforcement officials at the state and local government levels would be deployed round the neighbourhoods to monitor the level of compliance.

He reiterated that the health officers would not hesitate to issue abatement notices to houses and people who fail to participate in the exercise and would consequently have their dates in the courts of law as provided for under the 2017 Environmental Management law of Lagos State and associated legislations.

Exemptions

Wahab, however announced exemption to a group of people on essential duties such as : Health workers, Journalists, law enforcement officers, JAMB candidates taking exams with necessary identification items.