Lagos urges greater youth participation in environmental sanitation
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government has emphasised the importance of involving young people in environmental sanitation as part of efforts to build a cleaner and healthier state.
Speaking during the July edition of the monthly sanitation exercise at Eputu London in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area on Saturday, the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, commended residents for cleaning their surroundings and said the campaign was aimed at instilling environmental consciousness in younger generations.
She announced plans to include students of tertiary institutions in future sanitation exercises, saying exposing young people to the initiative would encourage them to sustain good environmental practices. She described environmental cleanliness as a collective responsibility.
Furthermore, Sanwo-Olu said the strong turnout of adults and children showed that the state’s sanitation campaign was beginning to yield positive results. She noted that residents of Eputu London had started cleaning their environment three days before the exercise, demonstrating growing public commitment despite the challenges of the rainy season and flooding.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the government was strengthening waste management infrastructure to support its vision of a cleaner Lagos. He highlighted ongoing projects at the Olusosun waste management facility, including the development of a waste transfer loading station and a material recovery facility.
Wahab added that the Lagos Waste Management Authority and Private Sector Participant operators were working to improve waste collection services, while the government continued to engage residents through sustained public enlightenment campaigns. He expressed confidence that consistency and enforcement would gradually change long-standing attitudes towards waste disposal.
He also urged residents experiencing challenges with waste collection services to report such cases to the Lagos Waste Management Authority instead of resorting to indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Rotimi Akodu, said many of Lagos’ environmental challenges stemmed from poor waste disposal habits. During an inspection in Badagry, he urged residents to support government efforts to keep their communities clean and commended Community Development Associations, Community Development Committees and students for their participation in the monthly sanitation exercise.
