By FABIAN EKERUCHE/OLAITAN ADEKEYE

Lagos State Government on Friday advised the residents to disregard misinformation surrounding its reintroduction of monthly environmental sanitation scheduled to begin on Saturday.

The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said in Lagos that the residents should rather show commitment to the exercise to improve cleanliness and promote health.

Wahab gave the advice at a news conference on Friday in Lagos.

He said the exercise would hold monthly between 6.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. during which residents would be expected to clean their surroundings.

Wahab said the initiative was aimed at restoring the culture of environmental cleanliness and responsibility that declined over the years.

“Government cannot do it alone. Residents must take ownership of their environment,” he said.

He noted that key stakeholders, including transport unions, community development associations, market leaders and local government officials, were fully aligned with the programme.

The commissioner emphasised that awareness about the exercise would be continuous, describing it as critical to achieving the desired result.

According to him, environmental sanitation should be seen as a civic responsibility.

“We must prioritise public health and environmental safety,” he said.

Wahab cited global responses to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic to underscore the importance of collective discipline and action.

He said that exemptions would be granted for essential service providers and emergency responders during the exercise.

The commissioner urged Lagos residents to devote the two-hour period to cleaning their environments.

Mrs Temitope Dosumu, Head of Geocycle Nigeria at Lafarge Africa Plc., said the firm would support the initiative through waste collection and processing.

Dosumu said that the firm would focus on sorting and managing waste for industrial reuse in line with the company’s zero-waste goal.

NAN reports that heads of agencies under Lagos State Ministry of the Environment attended the conference along with other critical stakeholders. (NAN)