The Lagos State Government has stepped up efforts at waste collection across the state, just as it warned residents against indiscriminate dumping of refuse into canals and drainage channels, noting that the practice obstructs water flow, worsens flooding and promotes an unhealthy environment.

The government issued the warning during the October edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, monitored separately by Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the state governor, Ikorodu Local Government Area, and Bode Agoro, the state Head of Service, in Ikeja.

Sanwo-Olu urged residents of Ikorodu to sustain the sanitation exercise beyond the last Saturday of every month, challenging the local government to work towards emerging as the cleanest in the state.

She stressed that continuous public sensitisation was critical to changing attitudes and promoting a culture of environmental responsibility, despite the challenges associated with behavioural change.

The governor’s wife called on residents to adopt proper sanitation practices in their homes, schools, markets and communities, emphasising that keeping Lagos clean was a collective responsibility.

She also commended residents, particularly children, youths, market traders and environmental sanitation workers, for their active participation and early turnout to clean their surroundings.

Speaking with journalists after the monitoring exercise in Ikeja, Agoro said Saturday’s exercise was the seventh conducted since March. He urged local government chairmen and their executive teams to intensify community mobilisation and encourage greater public participation in environmental sanitation. He emphasised that environmental cleanliness must be a continuous responsibility rather than an activity restricted to the monthly exercise.

Agoro disclosed that government officials observed some residents dumping refuse into canals during the exercise, despite ongoing efforts to discourage the practice. He said the Ministry of the Environment had been notified to clear the affected canals, while plans were underway to reconstruct one of the canals in the area in consultation with the relevant drainage authorities.

However, he cautioned that government efforts to clear and rehabilitate drainage channels would yield little impact if residents continued to dump refuse indiscriminately.

Akeem Dauda, chairman of Ikeja Local Government, said the council had been intensifying public sensitisation to discourage indiscriminate waste disposal, particularly into canals and drainage channels.
Dauda commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sustaining the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing it as an important platform for mobilising residents and strengthening community participation in environmental management.

The sanitation exercise in Ikeja covered Onilekere Street, Saidu Street, Olumo Street, Ijesha Close and Olúkòyí Street.

Meanwhile, the state government has introduced an environmental sanitation competition among all 20 Local Government Areas in Lagos to promote cleanliness, encourage healthy environmental practices and stimulate healthy competition among communities.

Under the initiative, the local governments will compete for recognition as the cleanest in the state, with the winner expected to be announced soon.

Joining the monitoring exercise was Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, among other government officials.