Lagos Locks Down As State Revives Monthly Sanitation Exercise Today Saturday
From 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. today, April 25, Lagos State revives the rested monthly environmental sanitation exercise on Saturdays.
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.
The Lagos State Government insisted no court ruling has stopped the programme, and urged citizens to clean homes, compounds, and streets while LAWMA trucks would collect bagged waste.
State officials emphasised that exemptions would apply for emergencies, travellers with scheduled flights and candidates sitting the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.
Originally started in the 1980s, the exercise was halted after a court ruled movement curbs unconstitutional.
The exercise marks the return of the sanitation programme nearly a decade after its suspension.
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.
“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.
“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.”
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.
The renewed assurance comes days after the state government released operational details for the exercise, including controlled movement and enforcement arrangements across the state.
The government had symbolically flagged off the exercise along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on 14 March ahead of Saturday’s full implementation.
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.
