April 25: Lagos Rolls Out Sanitation Exercise with Sanctions, Incentives
The Lagos State Government has released detailed guidelines for the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, set to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with movement restrictions and strict enforcement measures.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the exercise will hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
During this period, movement across the state will be restricted to allow residents clean their homes, surroundings, and drainage systems.
Wahab explained that enforcement teams—including officials from the Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline, Lagos Waste Management Authority, and local government sanitation officers—will conduct inspections during and after the exercise to ensure compliance.
He warned that defaulters will be sanctioned in line with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.
To support the exercise, LAWMA trucks will be deployed to collect bagged waste generated during the sanitation period.
The government also introduced an incentive system, with rewards planned for the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area, and street to encourage participation and healthy competition.
Wahab urged residents to take responsibility for their environment, stressing that achieving a cleaner and safer Lagos requires collective effort.
The renewed sanitation initiative follows a symbolic flag-off held along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on March 14, ahead of its full rollout.
The programme is making a return nearly a decade after it was suspended in November 2016 due to a court ruling that restricted movement enforcement.
While many residents have welcomed the move as a step toward reducing flooding and improving cleanliness, others have raised concerns about possible abuse of movement restrictions and called for sustained public awareness on proper waste disposal.
