By MERCY OMOIKE

Residents of Alimosho area of Lagos State on Saturday expressed frustration over months of uncollected refuse, saying the situation was undermining the objectives of the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) across Akiwowo, Apatira and Alaguntan areas, said they remained committed to keeping their surroundings clean but urged authorities to ensure prompt evacuation of waste.

NAN reports that Lagos State resumed its monthly environmental sanitation exercise on April 25, 2026, after a nearly 10-year break.

The exercise holds from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month, with restriction of movement during the period.

A resident of Apatira Street, Mr Shola Aboro, said residents had continued to comply with the sanitation directive in spite of challenges with waste evacuation.

“I have done my part of the sanitation this morning and hope to continue in order to keep my environment clean.

“However, it is quite discouraging to see the refuse we have cleared return to the gutters because the PSP trucks have refused to come pick them.

“For this environmental sanitation to be sustainable, the state government has to do their part in ensuring that our wastes are picked on time,” Aboro said.

Another resident, who identified herself as Mummy Daniel, said she might stop participating in the exercise if refuse around her residence remained uncleared.

“It will be futile if all we do monthly is to clear our environment and the refuse is not cleared out by the agency responsible for it.

“It is so discouraging to pay for the PSP services monthly and for the past four months our garbage has not been moved.

“The essence of the sanitation will be ultimately defeated if the waste cleared are not cleared out when as at when due,” she said.

NAN observed that some residents engaged in exercise and morning walks during the stipulated sanitation period, while the vehicular movement appeared higher than in previous months.

A commercial motorcyclist, Mr Ambrose Udeh, said he participated in the exercise before heading out to earn a living.

“I have done my own sanitation exercise this morning but I need to feed my family, so I must come out to work.

“I believe if we do our part and the government does its own part, our state will be clean,” Udeh said.

Also speaking, Mr Nose Omorodion of Cash Street said persistent refuse heaps had discouraged him from taking part in the exercise.

“The environment is dirty, everywhere you turn there is a pile of dirt, so what are we coming to clean?

“We have been promised that our refuse will be cleared when we clean our environment but for how long?

“We just hope that the dirt will not drown us,” Omorodion said. (NAN)

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