May Sanitation: Stay indoors, clean your environment, Wahab tells Lagos residents

Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, has urged residents across the state to remain indoors and actively participate in the May edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday, May 30, between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Wahab, in a statement issued late Thursday, commended Lagosians for their impressive turnout during the reintroduced sanitation exercise which resumed in April, describing environmental cleanliness as critical to healthy living and sustainable development.

He called on residents to utilise the two-hour exercise to clean their homes, drains, surroundings, and other public spaces within their communities.

The commissioner praised the level of compliance recorded during the April exercise and encouraged residents to surpass the previous participation level, stressing that the monthly sanitation programme had come to stay.

According to him, the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, will lead a team of government officials to monitor the exercise in Alimosho Local Government Area, while the Head of Service, Mr Olabode Agoro, will supervise monitoring activities in Apapa Local Government Area.

Wahab disclosed that sufficient compactor trucks had been deployed across the state to ensure prompt evacuation of waste generated during and after the exercise.

He added that all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas would fully participate in monitoring the sanitation exercise to guarantee compliance and promote a cleaner environment across the state.

The commissioner urged residents to embrace the sanitation initiative and cultivate a lasting culture of cleanliness, warning against the habit of living in dirty and unhygienic surroundings.

He also cautioned residents against patronising cart pushers for waste disposal, describing the practice as illegal, while noting that the operations of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators had been expanded to cover more communities and residents.

Wahab further warned that abatement notices would be issued to residents who fail to clean their premises during the exercise, adding that defaulters could also face prosecution.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to a clean, hygienic, and flood-free Lagos, the commissioner advised residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels and other unauthorised locations.