The Lagos State Government on Friday reaffirmed that the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise will hold on Saturday, insisting no court ruling has stopped the programme.
The exercise, scheduled for 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., marks the return of the sanitation programme nearly a decade after it was suspended, with the state government urging residents to participate in cleaning their homes and surroundings.
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In a statement posted on X, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, dismissed claims that the exercise lacked legal backing, saying the Court of Appeal had upheld the laws supporting its implementation and enforcement.
“Tomorrow morning between 6:30am and 8:30am, we begin a new chapter in our collective journey toward a cleaner Lagos. The monthly environmental sanitation exercise returns, and I am calling on every resident to come out and participate actively,” Mr Wahab said.
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Addressing questions over the legality of the programme, he stated that critics were misleading the public.
“Let me address the confusion some have tried to create. No court pronouncement has invalidated this exercise. The State proceeded to the Court of Appeal, and judgment was delivered in our favour. The Court affirmed that the laws used for the implementation and enforcement of environmental sanitation are legitimate and constitutional. So disregard those who choose to mislead the public,” he explained.
The commissioner said the state had spent more than a year preparing for the return of the exercise and stressed that keeping Lagos clean requires shared responsibility between government and residents.
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“We cannot keep complaining about dirty surroundings and blaming the government while shirking our own responsibilities. The care of our environment is a collaborative project between government and citizens,” he stressed.
Mr Wahab also said major transport unions, which he said control about 90 per cent of vehicles operating in the state, had agreed not to deploy vehicles from major parks during the sanitation period.
He emphasised that exemptions would apply for emergencies, travellers with scheduled flights and candidates sitting the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.
“LAWMA has been fully mobilised to evacuate waste generated. Environmental health officers will monitor properties, and defaulters will be served abatement notices,” he added.
Background
The renewed assurance comes days after the state government released operational details for the exercise, including controlled movement and enforcement arrangements across the state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the sanitation exercise would hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
According to the government, enforcement teams drawn from the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and local government sanitation inspectors will monitor compliance.
Mr Wahab had said the teams would conduct inspections during and after the exercise, while offenders risk sanctions under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.
He also said LAWMA trucks would be deployed to evacuate bagged waste generated during the exercise and announced plans to introduce incentives, including rewards for the cleanest local government, local council development area and street.
The government had symbolically flagged off the exercise along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on 14 March ahead of Saturday’s full implementation.
The sanitation programme returned almost 10 years after it was suspended in November 2016 following a court decision that challenged restrictions on movement during the exercise.
State officials have argued that persistent indiscriminate waste disposal, blocked drainage channels and recurrent flooding in parts of Lagos have made stronger community participation necessary.
The reintroduction has drawn mixed reactions.
While some residents have welcomed the move as a step towards improved environmental hygiene, others have expressed concern about possible abuse of movement restrictions and called for sustained public education rather than reliance on enforcement alone.
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