The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says it will shortly start distributing trash cans and bags to all renters in the state.
This was revealed by the Lagos Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in a statement on Sunday.
The statement attributed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu while flagging of a community-based environmental sanitation awareness programme, said the move was to aid the proper bagging of refuse across the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu who spoke at the Campos playground, Odunlami Street on Sunday, read the riot act to residents who litter the drains and remove manholes, saying a stop must be put to such habit.
He urged all residents to take action by prioritising environmental cleanliness in their daily lives.
The governor, who expressed dismay at the level of littering of drains, advised that it is high time all residents embrace good environmental habits to avoid any form of disease breakout in the state.
Sanwo-Olu in the company of his deputy Dr Obafemi Hamzat, also lamented that on the streets he visited, most of the manholes have been removed and littered with refuse.
He said the awareness/sensitisation campaign will be taken around all the 57 local Governments and LCDA, to ensure that the initiative is embraced by every member of the community, while ensuring that Lagosians have access to a clean, safe, flood-free and sustainable environment.
He promised that a gang made up of officials of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and that of the Environment, would be constituted to tackle the issue of manhole removal.
Sanwo Olu hinted that he would lead the members of the executive council every weekend to clean streets, neighbourhoods, desilt drainages and ensure evacuation of waste saying the exercise would be a continuous culture before a decision is taken on the resumption of the Monthly Sanitation Exercise.
Sanwo-Olu said the day which coincides with the annual Tree Planting Day which is celebrated globally on the 14th of July, encouraged residents to embrace tree planting culture, stressing that trees are not just for beautification but to regulate temperature and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab said the awareness of the re-introduction of the sanitation exercise was pertinent to promote a clean and healthy environment, as well as encourage community participation in waste management to reduce 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.
