Lagos Sanitation: Wahab’s Unexpected Message to Every Lagos Household

Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab

Lagos Sanitation: Wahab’s Unexpected Message to Every Lagos Household

The 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, adding that all 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.

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The monthly sanitation exercise was officially reintroduced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in March as part of broader environmental and flood-control measures in the state. The governor had expressed concern over growing heaps of uncollected refuse littering roads and public spaces across Lagos, warning that the state cannot aspire to global city standards while battling widespread environmental filth. According to Sanwo-Olu, the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. has been set aside for residents to clean their surroundings, though he clarified that movement will not be fully restricted during the two-hour period, urging residents to voluntarily participate or risk sanctions under the state’s environmental laws.

The Lagos State Government has defended the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, insisting that it is lawful and does not violate residents’ fundamental rights to movement. In a statement issued by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, the government faulted what it described as “incorrect narration” in sections of the media regarding a Court of Appeal ruling on the exercise. Pedro stated that the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria in suit number CA/L/381/2015, delivered on November 23, 2021, upheld the legality of environmental sanitation in Lagos State, ruling that the exercise is backed by law and does not breach the fundamental rights of residents. He noted that the case was instituted by legal practitioner Ebun Adegboruwa, who challenged the sanitation policy, but the matter is still pending at the Supreme Court, meaning the Court of Appeal judgment remains valid and subsisting.

Major transport unions have pledged support by restricting vehicle operations from parks and garages during the exercise period, officials said. The government has maintained that only controlled movement will be enforced during sanitation hours, rather than a total lockdown, with residents free to move through roads and streets not affected by ongoing cleaning activities.

In a related development, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) recently revoked the licences of five underperforming PSP operators as part of measures to improve operational efficiency and ensure effective service delivery across the state. The affected operators include KENNY JPS operating in Igando-Ikotun (Egan II), CLEAN CRAFT NIG LIMITED in Igando-Ikotun (Isheri-Oshun I), DOVEROOST LTD in Eti-Osa West, DEWAYLS in Orade (Ijegun Emure), and PESJOY VENTURES in Ejigbo (Bucknor II). The Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, explained that the affected operators were unable to meet required service standards, necessitating the withdrawal of their licences in the interest of public health and environmental sustainability. He added that waste collection routes have been reorganised in fast-developing areas to improve efficiency and service delivery, with existing operators retaining portions of their routes while additional operators are deployed to ensure broader and more effective coverage.

The state government has also vowed to achieve a flood-free environment, directing the immediate evacuation of waste generated during the monthly sanitation exercise as part of efforts to prevent flooding as the rainy season intensifies. Wahab stressed that operational teams have been mobilised across the state to clear refuse collected during the exercise without delay, while drainage channels and canals are also being cleared simultaneously to reduce flood risks. “We are clearing the drains simultaneously because this is the only sure path to securing our city against flooding as the rains continue to intensify. A clean environment is our first and most effective line of defence,” the commissioner was quoted as saying.

The renewed push for environmental sanitation comes nearly a decade after the programme was suspended in 2016 following a court challenge over movement restrictions. The ministry has maintained that persistent indiscriminate waste disposal, blocked drainage channels and recurrent flooding in parts of Lagos have made stronger community participation necessary. Residents have been urged to sustain proper sanitation habits beyond the monthly exercise, as environmental cleanliness requires shared responsibility between the government and citizens.