By UCHECHI AFONNE

The Lagos State Government has inaugurated a Special Task Force to monitor bus stops, garages, lay-bys and other public spaces against indiscriminate waste dumping as part of efforts to improve environmental sanitation across the state.

The inauguration, held in Alausa on Saturday, was attended by members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, journalists and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the initiative was aimed at strengthening collaboration among relevant agencies and stakeholders to address environmental abuse.

Osiyemi expressed concern over increasing cases of improper waste disposal by residents.

“This meeting is a call for greater collaboration.

“Our beautiful city is being challenged by indiscriminate refuse disposal and environmental abuse.

“We cannot fold our arms while people carry waste from their homes and dump it on roads, medians and public spaces.

“This is totally unacceptable,” he said.

The commissioner described the practice as reckless and warned that indiscriminate dumping posed serious environmental and public health risks.

He stressed the need for stricter enforcement of sanitation regulations and increased public participation in keeping the environment clean.

According to him, sustainable sanitation efforts require the support of residents, government agencies and other stakeholders.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Sam Egube, highlighted the strategic role of transport workers in maintaining order and security in the state.

According to him, transport operators form a critical part of the information and security network in major cities across the world.

“When they see something, they say something,” Egube said.

He stressed the importance of timely information sharing, noting that criminals often move through roads and public transport systems, making transport workers valuable partners in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.

“When a city is breaking down, it is because there is a failure in the movement of information among all of us,” he said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transportation Logistics, Mr Adekoya Hassan, urged transport workers to actively discourage littering and take ownership of sanitation within their parks, garages and bus stops.

“Our roads are being littered deliberately by people. We want you to take responsibility as our partners to ensure that this does not happen again,” he said.

Hassan said indiscriminate trading within transport facilities contributed significantly to waste generation and environmental pollution.

“We must stop allowing people to sell indiscriminately in parks because that is also where much of this waste is generated,” he said.

Also, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, urged transport operators to support efforts aimed at keeping roads and public spaces clean.

Gbadegesin said Lagos generated about 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the state.

He commended transport unions for moving more than 22 million commuters daily with a high level of organisation and discipline.

According to him, such capacity can also be deployed to support environmental sustainability.

“We need your support. Lagos is our home and we must keep it clean.

“Waste should be collected from homes and taken to designated collection points. Refuse should not be brought onto roads,” he said.

Gbadegesin urged residents to keep waste within their premises pending collection and avoid dumping refuse on highways and road medians.

He also condemned roadside trading, noting that newly constructed roads were often occupied by traders shortly after completion.

“We should not allow trading at bus stops. It gives the impression that people can behave anyhow, and we do not want that in Lagos,” he said.

Gbadegesin commended transport unions for supporting the monthly environmental sanitation exercise and called for sustained daily enforcement of sanitation regulations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives of the transport unions pledged their readiness to partner with the state government to ensure a cleaner environment. (NAN)

•PHOTO, L-R: Deputy State Chairman, National Road Transport Union, Mr Ganiu Shittu; Managing Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin; Hon. Sola Giwa; Honourable Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Deputy Chief of State, Lagos State, Mr Sam Egube and Deputy Chairman Operations, Road Transport Employers Associations of Nigeria, during a stakeholders meeting with transport Operators in Lagos State on the Lagos state on the clean up of Waste on the High Way’s and Motor Parks in Lagos State, on Saturday, at Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja Lagos State.