The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has announced that the state plans to reward councils that emerge as the cleanest after the commencement of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise with cash rewards of up to N10m.

Wahab revealed this on Tuesday during an engagement with the chairmen of the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas, in Alausa.

The engagement focused on discussing the modalities for the commencement of the exercise and the roles the chairmen are expected to play.

Speaking at the event, Wahab said the prize for the cleanest council was aimed at motivating the councils to be proactive in ensuring the success of the monthly sanitation exercise.

“We will reward the cleanest local government, and this will be continuous. We are looking at around N10m. It is not about the money but about encouraging our councils to take charge of this sanitation,” he said.

He noted that the LGAs and LCDAs are also expected to take the lead in sensitising and orienting residents on the importance of the exercise.

He disclosed that the ministry would engage with other stakeholders in the state ahead of the commencement of the sanitation exercise.

Wahab added that the state had also initiated the recycling of waste generated as part of its efforts to decommission some of the state’s dumpsites.

He noted that the sanitation exercise would not be solely focused on enforcement but on instilling a culture of cleanliness among residents.

“We are not talking about enforcement. We want people to own it, and that is why we want to have a consensus about how the environment should look and why we should give up two hours.

“If our market women can do three hours every Thursday and it has never failed, why can’t we do two hours?” he added.

Reacting on behalf of the council chairmen, the Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki LGA, Sesan Olowa, pledged the chairmen’s commitment to the success of the sanitation exercise.

He added that the chairmen would provide advocacy and operational support for the exercise.

Olowa said, “The first thing is advocacy and awareness across Lagos State, and we will localise it through the CDAs, CDCs, market associations, Kabiyesi and Baales. The culture of mismanaging waste must change.

“We will also support with the carting away of waste on sanitation days. If there is any way the state can support us, we will be ready to synergise. Local Government secretariats should serve as coordinating centres.

“Some people will naturally not comply, so we want to be empowered to work with the DPOs to arrest those who will not comply.”

He concluded that the state should set up transit waste stations where waste collected during the exercise would be deposited before being moved to landfills.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Lanre Afini, urged stakeholders to work in synergy towards the success of the exercise.

The highlight of the engagement included responses from other council chairmen who highlighted environmental concerns in their localities, with Wahab responding and suggesting possible solutions.

Recall that the government had announced the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise nearly a decade after it was suspended in the state.

During the exercise, residents are expected to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in front of their homes, and dispose of waste responsibly as part of efforts to improve environmental hygiene and tackle waste management challenges.(The PUNCH)

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