The Lagos State First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has defended the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing it as necessary for sustaining public awareness and ensuring a clean environment across the state.
This is just as she said the state government would soon name the winner of the cleanest council as part of efforts to promote environmental cleanliness and healthy competition among communities.
She said the exercise should not be considered unnecessary, despite criticisms in some quarters, stressing that continuous sensitisation was essential to making environmental cleanliness a daily habit among residents.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Saturday during the October environmental sanitation exercise in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
She likened the exercise to safety announcements made to passengers whenever they boarded an aircraft, noting that repeated reminders were necessary to reinforce responsible behaviour.
“It might seem unnecessary to some people, but the awareness is a continuous exercise. It is just like when you enter the plane; every time you enter the plane, they remind you, whether you are in first class or economy class, to fasten your seat belts and do this and do that.
“So, it is a continuous exercise. There will always be teething problems, but we will overcome them. I think we should continue to create awareness all the time,” she said.
The First Lady urged residents to sustain environmental cleanliness beyond the last Saturday of every month by extending the sanitation culture to their homes, communities, wards, schools and markets.
She expressed satisfaction with the level of participation in Ikorodu, particularly commending children, environmental sanitation workers and community stakeholders who turned out early for the exercise.
“I am very impressed. I noticed that they have taken our environmental sanitation very seriously. While we were coming, I was looking at the cleanliness along the roads, especially in the market spaces.
“Importantly, we noticed our children; they had been here since 6am. They had been cleaning even before I came. They were here till 8.30am and beyond. The LAWMA staff were also doing their work, and the sweepers were outside. All hands were on deck,” she said.
Sanwo-Olu also urged Ikorodu residents to sustain the momentum and emerge as winners in an impending cleanliness competition among local governments in the state.
She said the government would soon announce the cleanest environment in Lagos, adding that all local governments would participate in the competition.
“My message to them is that they should keep Lagos clean and not only wait till we have our environmental sanitation day, the last Saturday of the month, but make sure that Ikorodu comes first in the competition ahead.
“All the local governments will take part, and they will announce the best or the cleanest environment in Lagos very, very soon,” she added.
Meanwhile, some residents of Ikorodu who spoke with our correspondent said they had observed improvements in waste collection.
A resident who identified himself simply as Tayo noted that waste collectors have improved on the number of times they come to pick waste in the community.
He said, “The waste collection routine in our community has improved. The PSP operators are now visiting regularly compared to some months back, and that is why there’s no much waste heaps littering around.”
Another resident, Wale Akindele, corroborated the improvement in waste collection within the community while calling for sustained efforts in keeping the state clean.
Online reported on April 1 that the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced that the state plans to reward councils that emerge as the cleanest after the commencement of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise with cash rewards of up to N10m.
Wahab had disclosed this during an engagement with the chairmen of the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas in Alausa.