Sanwo-Olu reintroduces monthly environmental sanitation
By Jeffrey Agbo
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has revived the monthly environmental sanitation exercise every last Saturday of the month from 6.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m, starting from April.
The governor said this at a stakeholders’ engagement on environmental sanitation on Saturday in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu said the initiative was not a political contest but a serious public health and civic responsibility exercise aimed at building a cleaner and healthier Lagos.
The governor said the reintroduced sanitation exercise was designed to reach all parts of the state and deepen environmental consciousness among residents.
He added that government alone could not achieve a clean city without active public participation.
“This morning’s exercise is a very serious one and a defining moment for all of us as Lagosians.
“It is not about politics, it is not about rivalry; it is about our collective responsibility to keep our environment clean, healthy and safe for everyone,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said the cleanliness of streets, markets, drainage channels and public spaces reflected the daily habits of residents.
He noted that sustainable environmental management must be driven by shared responsibility and not enforcement alone.
“A clean city is not achieved by government alone.
“It is built every day by the actions of citizens, by what we do in our homes, in our markets, in our communities and on our streets,” he said.
The monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos was officially suspended in November 2016 following a March 2015 Federal High Court ruling.
The court mandated that restriction of human movement 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. was unconstitutional, violating citizens’ rights to freedom of movement.
The government argued it was impractical for a megacity. Eventually former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode formally announced the cancellation of the monthly, mandatory cleanup exercise in November 2016.
Sanwo-Olu recalled that the monthly environmental sanitation was once a national civic culture observed on the last Saturday of every month, when residents voluntarily cleaned their surroundings as part of a broader commitment to public health.
“Although a court judgment ended the movement restriction that characterised the old sanitation exercise, the responsibility of government and citizens to maintain a clean environment remained unchanged.
“We respect the rule of law and the authority of the courts.
“The enforcement mechanism may have changed, but the responsibility to maintain a clean and healthy environment has not changed and will never change,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said the symbolic flag-off was, therefore, intended to revive the culture of environmental sanitation through awareness, partnership and voluntary participation, rather than relying solely on enforcement or punitive measures.
Present at the sensitisation were the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab; Head of Service, Bode Agoro; and the Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde.
