Lagos reintroduces monthly sanitation as waste, flood risks mount

Lagos reintroduces monthly sanitation as waste, flood risks mount

The Lagos State Government has announced the return of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, marking a revival of a once-familiar civic routine aimed at improving cleanliness and tackling mounting waste management challenges in the state.

The exercise will officially resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, and will subsequently hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30am and 8:30am.

Residents across the state are expected to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in front of their homes and ensure proper disposal of waste during the exercise.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed the development in a statement on Saturday, urging Lagosians to see the initiative as a shared civic responsibility.

“I am pleased to inform all Lagosians that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will resume effective Saturday, April 25, 2026, holding on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30am to 8:30am,” Wahab said.

“During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility.”

According to him, the exercise is part of the state government’s broader efforts to promote environmental hygiene and build a cleaner and flood-resilient city.

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“This exercise is a collective responsibility and a vital part of our commitment to a cleaner, healthier and flood-resilient Lagos. It shall be backed with the full enforcement weight of the Lagos State Government,” he added.

Wahab explained that the decision signals a return to a long-standing sanitation culture that once formed part of everyday life in the state.

He noted that prior to 2016, residents routinely dedicated time once a month to clean their neighbourhoods and maintain tidy surroundings.

“Once every month, we took our time to clean up our surroundings and then maintain them sparkling. However, for some years, we stopped it,” he said.

The commissioner observed that the absence of the exercise had contributed to growing environmental pressures, including indiscriminate refuse disposal and blocked drainage channels.

“Now, waste and environmental challenges have become an existential challenge to us as a state. It has taken us over a year of discussions to agree that it is time to reintroduce the monthly environmental sanitation,” he said.

Appealing for cooperation, Wahab urged residents to devote a few hours each month to environmental cleanliness, noting that many markets in the state already observe weekly sanitation exercises.

The monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which was previously observed between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month, was suspended in November 2016 following a court ruling that restricted the enforcement of movement bans during the exercise.

Its suspension later coincided with increasing waste management concerns across parts of the state, including clogged drainage systems and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

 

Lagos reintroduces monthly sanitation as waste, flood risks mount