On Sunday, the Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to promoting good environmental sanitation and hygienic practices among residents through an ongoing sanitation advocacy campaign.
Addressing market traders and residents at Alamutu Market in Idi-Oro, Mushin, during a community-based sanitation exercise and sensitization, Special Adviser on Environment Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu emphasized the necessity of maintaining a clean environment to prevent disease.
Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, Permanent Secretary of the Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite, and Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Akodu participated in desilting drainage on Agege Motor Road, with waste trucks clearing the debris.
“The cleanup exercise is a follow-up to the governor’s directive on community-based sanitation,” Akodu explained. “The environment must be clean, and food handling processes must be hygienic to ensure the socio-economic well-being of all residents.”
Akodu reminded traders at Alamutu Market of the market’s closure last year due to unsanitary conditions. He urged them to clean the market and its environs, remove heaps of refuse, and refrain from street trading.
“All forms of diseases spread through contaminated water and food resulting from unhygienic and poor sanitation practices such as open defecation, poor waste management, and poor personal hygiene,” Akodu said. “Our sanitation exercise should be an everyday practice, not just on Thursdays.”
He emphasized that the community sanitation and advocacy efforts would continue across all 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) as well as public spaces and markets. The goal is to instill sustainable sanitation practices among the people.
“If there is no positive change, the government may consider reintroducing the monthly environmental sanitation exercises,” Akodu warned.
Dr. Gaji highlighted the exercise’s importance in raising awareness about sanitation as a means of preventing communicable diseases. “If we manage the environment properly, it will treat us well, and our lifespan will increase,” he noted.
He encouraged residents to take responsibility for their surroundings by maintaining cleanliness and reporting neighbors’ unsanitary behaviors, as the government cannot monitor every area.
Dr. Gbadegesin stressed the importance of every household owning a waste bin and patronizing Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators rather than cart pushers. He pointed out that consistent cleanliness would enhance economic activities across Lagos.
The areas visited during the exercise included Agege Motor Road, Alamutu Market in Idi-Oro, Labinjo Street, Adeyanju Street, and Makinde Street in Mushin Local Government Area.
