Officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) will soon begin distributing waste bags and bins to tenants across the state, according to a statement by the Lagos Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources on Sunday.
The statement, attributed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during the launch of a community-based environmental sanitation awareness program, stated that this initiative aims to facilitate proper waste disposal throughout the state.
Speaking at the Campos playground on Odunlami Street, Governor Sanwo-Olu warned residents against littering drains and removing manholes, emphasizing the need to put an end to these practices.
He urged all residents to prioritize environmental cleanliness in their daily lives. Expressing disappointment at the level of drain littering, he stressed the importance of adopting good environmental habits to prevent disease outbreaks.
Accompanied by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that many manholes on the streets he visited had been removed and filled with refuse.
He announced that the awareness and sensitization campaign would be conducted across all 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) to ensure that every community member embraces the initiative, thereby providing Lagosians with access to a clean, safe, flood-free, and sustainable environment.
He pledged to form a task force comprising officials from the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Environment to address the problem of manhole removal.
Sanwo-Olu also indicated his intention to lead members of the executive council every weekend in cleaning streets, neighborhoods, desilting drainages, and ensuring waste evacuation. He emphasized that this effort would become a regular practice until a decision is made regarding the resumption of the Monthly Sanitation Exercise.
Additionally, Sanwo-Olu highlighted that the day coincided with the annual Tree Planting Day celebrated globally on July 14th. He encouraged residents to adopt a culture of tree planting, emphasizing that trees serve not only to enhance aesthetics but also to regulate temperatures and mitigate the effects of climate change.
In his opening remarks, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, underscored the importance of raising awareness about the reintroduction of the sanitation exercise. He emphasized that promoting a clean and healthy environment and fostering community involvement in waste management were crucial in reducing the risk of disease outbreaks.
“As we all know Monthly Environmental Sanitation was a culture in Lagos State some years back as such the awareness of the re-introduction of exercise in the State is going to be another bold step of the present administration.
Wahab said undertaking the sanitation of the environment provides a ground for people to become hygienic the safeguard their health, which will also increase the lifespan of residents through the promotion of cleanliness.
He said with the government’s effort to create awareness and sensitise the citizens on the re-introduction of the exercise, all residents are encouraged to imbibe the culture of cleaning their homes, surroundings, and drainages in front of their tenements and streets.
He added that the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials would always be on the ground to collect bagged waste and dispose of it properly.