The wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to make environmental sanitation a daily habit, warning that indiscriminate waste disposal continues to fuel flooding and disease outbreaks across the state.
Speaking during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Eputu London in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area on Saturday, Sanwo-Olu said maintaining clean surroundings should become a daily responsibility rather than an activity observed only on the state’s designated sanitation day.
She warned that dumping refuse in drainage channels contributes significantly to blocked waterways, flooding and the spread of diseases.
“This cleanliness that we are observing should be a daily exercise and not only on sanitation day so that we can curb diseases.
Sanitation is important that we should start from our homes. Let’s desist from throwing waste in the drainage. We should dispose of our refuse with the refuse collectors.
“When we do this, the issue of flood and disease outbreak will not occur. If we all dump waste in drainage, it will result in clogging and eventual flooding,” she said.
The governor’s wife noted that the monthly sanitation exercise introduced by the Lagos State Government was gaining wider acceptance, with many communities now taking ownership of environmental cleanliness.
“We have created that awareness and we are very proud of our people. We noticed today that both the children and the parents came out very early.
In fact, they started three days ago; they didn’t even wait till the last Saturday of the month. That shows the effectiveness. People are aware and conscious of the environment,” she said.
She commended residents of Eputu London for their participation despite recent flooding challenges experienced in parts of the state.
“People are making a conscious effort to remove debris as much as possible. It’s a work in progress. We know we still have issues, but they can be resolved,” she added.
Sanwo-Olu also said the state government was involving schoolchildren in the sanitation exercise to promote environmental consciousness from an early age.
“Our children have been here since 6:30 a.m. to ensure that whatever values we are handing over to them, they will continue. By the grace of God, next month, we will also involve students from tertiary institutions,” she said.
She described environmental sanitation as a collective responsibility and urged residents to continue participating in the monthly exercise held on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., while maintaining clean surroundings daily.
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Also speaking, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the state government was strengthening waste management through the construction of transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities.
According to him, facilities being developed at Olusosun and Simpson would complement planned material recovery centres in Ikorodu and Badagry to improve waste evacuation across Lagos.
“The ultimate goal is that once that is completed, there will be material recovery facilities at Ikorodu and Badagry to cart away the waste. We believe we are going to get there,” Wahab said.
He urged residents to stop dumping refuse on road medians and other unauthorised locations, stressing that proper waste disposal remained critical to environmental sustainability.
“We just have to keep doing the advocacy and appealing to our people to manage waste properly. People should take ownership rather than just pick up their waste and dump it on the road,” he said.
The commissioner also called on Private Sector Participants (PSPs) in waste management to improve service delivery, noting that residents who pay for waste collection deserve efficient services.
“If people pay for a service, it behoves those providing the service to render it. Rather than dump waste indiscriminately, residents should call LAWMA if their PSP operator is not coming so the agency can intervene,” he said.
Wahab added that the government would continue to combine public enlightenment campaigns with enforcement measures to sustain environmental compliance across the state.