Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has stated that residents are free to move around during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise, dismissing claims of any movement restriction.
In a post shared on his X account on Saturday, Wahab responded to a social media user, Faveo Autos, who had asked about penalties for moving during the exercise and claimed that an individual had been arrested and taken to the Ikeja Police Station.
The user had asked, “What is the fine for movement during environmental… Ikeja Police Station?”
Responding, the commissioner stated that any arrest made solely on the grounds of movement during the sanitation exercise was unlawful and inconsistent with the Lagos State Government’s policy.
He stressed that there is no law authorising restrictions on movement during the monthly exercise, adding that such arrests do not reflect the position of the state government.
Wahab explained that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise was reintroduced to revive and strengthen the culture of environmental cleanliness across Lagos.
According to him, the initiative is supported by the provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, but the legislation does not provide for restrictions on residents’ movement during the exercise.
He added that the government’s objective is to encourage voluntary public participation in environmental sanitation rather than depend on enforcement measures.
The commissioner urged residents to regard environmental sanitation as a civic responsibility and a collective commitment towards building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos.
