The Lagos State Government has announced the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise across the state in a renewed effort to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Newsonspot reports that the exercise, which was suspended in 2016 following a court ruling that nullified the compulsory restriction on movement during sanitation hours, will return under a new arrangement that allows residents to move freely while still participating in the exercise.
Speaking during a public sensitisation programme along the Mushin-Agege Motor Road corridor organised by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced that the sanitation exercise will officially resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
According to the governor, the exercise will take place on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., encouraging residents to voluntarily participate in cleaning their surroundings.
Sanwo-Olu emphasised that maintaining a clean city is a shared responsibility between government and residents.
“A clean city is not achieved by government alone. It is built by the daily actions of the people who live in it,” the governor stated.
He also urged residents to be more environmentally conscious, particularly in the proper disposal of waste such as plastic bottles, product packaging, and wrappers.
According to him, careless disposal of waste on streets or in drainage systems contributes significantly to flooding, environmental degradation, and public health risks.
The governor further recalled that the monthly sanitation exercise was once a nationwide practice in Nigeria, where citizens collectively cleaned their surroundings and cleared blocked drainage channels every last Saturday of the month.
While the court ruling removed the enforcement of movement restrictions during sanitation hours, Sanwo-Olu stressed that the duty to keep the environment clean remains a collective responsibility.
“As a government, we have always respected the rule of law and the authority of our courts. But while the enforcement mechanism changed, the responsibility to maintain a clean environment did not change. That responsibility remains with all of us,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, assured residents that the exercise would be strongly supported through enforcement and collaboration among government agencies.
He disclosed that agencies under the ministry – including the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), and the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) – will work together to ensure the success of the sanitation initiative.
Wahab also warned residents against activities that contribute to environmental degradation, including illegal waste dumping, trading in undesignated areas, indiscriminate highway crossing, burning of refuse, sleeping on bridges, patronising cart pushers, and open defecation.
He stressed that the Lagos State Environmental Protection Law remains fully in force, noting that anyone found violating environmental laws would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The state government says the revived sanitation exercise is part of a broader strategy to strengthen environmental responsibility, prevent disease outbreaks, and build a cleaner Lagos for all residents.
