Lagos First Lady, HoS Drive Successful Monthly Sanitation Exercise Revival

By BENJAMIN OMOIKE LAGOS, Nigeria – The monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Lagos State recorded a strong comeback on Saturday with high compliance across monitored areas, including Agege and Obalende in Eti-Osa.

Leading the monitoring in Obalende, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, expressed satisfaction with the turnout, describing the exercise as a promising start following its recent reinstatement.

The sanitation exercise, observed on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., had been suspended since November 2016 before being reintroduced in March this year.

Dr Sanwo-Olu noted that residents complied with directives, as traders stayed off the streets and citizens actively participated in cleaning their environment.

She described the level of participation as encouraging for a first outing and urged Lagosians to make cleanliness a daily habit rather than a monthly routine.

She also highlighted the involvement of students, noting that early engagement would help instil environmental responsibility from a young age.

Across the state, compliance was visibly high, with no commercial vehicles on major roads during the sanitation period, as residents remained within their communities to take part in the exercise.

Also monitoring the exercise in Agege, the Head of Service, Mr Olabode Agoro, commended residents for their turnout and cooperation, noting that the initiative would improve over time.

He described the streets as largely clean and attributed the reduced movement to voluntary participation, stressing that the government did not impose restrictions but encouraged citizens to take ownership of their environment.

Mr Agoro urged residents to sustain the culture of cleanliness, linking a healthy environment to the prevention of diseases and improved public health.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, also praised Lagosians for their response, revealing that compliance levels exceeded 98 per cent.

He said the high turnout reflected a renewed commitment by residents to keep the state clean and safe, adding that the government deliberately adopted a community-driven approach rather than strict enforcement to build lasting behavioural change.

The commissioner disclosed that a ranking system would be introduced to reward the cleanest local government areas, with awards expected within the week.

In Agege, where monitoring ended at the Alfa Nla area on Capitol Road, the Chairman of the Local Government, Mr Ganiyu Obasa, said the council had maintained consistent sanitation efforts prior to the state-wide reintroduction.

He explained that the local government operates an organised waste management system, including hundreds of sweepers, waste compactors, and routine drainage clearing, describing the monthly sanitation as a welcome reinforcement of existing measures.

Mr Obasa emphasised that enforcement remains critical to sustaining compliance, noting that improved coordination between the state and local governments would further enhance environmental management.

Officials say the revived sanitation exercise is part of broader efforts to promote public health, prevent disease outbreaks, and restore a culture of cleanliness across Lagos communities.