The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu is expected to lead top government officials to witness the commencement of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise today at Ikoyi Obalende Local Council Development Area ( LCDA).

Speaking during a media briefing on the Modalities for the Environmental Sanitation Exercise which holds every last Saturday of the month, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab said no court pronouncement has invalidated the exercise.

He reiterated that the re-introduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise will be held statewide tomorrow between 6:30a.m. and 8.?:30a.m., urging residents to troop out en masse and actively participate.

The Commissioner said contrary to some opinions that the court judgment that cancelled the exercise years ago was still in force, the State proceeded to the Court of Appeal and judgment was delivered in its favour.

He stressed that the Court affirmed that the Laws used for the implementation and enforcement were legitimate and constitutional.

“It is very disingenuous on anybody’s part to be misapplying facts and misleading the public, and that is why we are calling on Lagosians to disregard those persons” he said.

He stressed that it is now time for everyone to handle issues of the environment with zest and determination.

Wahab said the environment is the superstructure on which the survival of other sectors rests, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustainability.

According to him, “We have thought this out properly; We have planned this for over a year, and we have said to ourselves, we cannot keep complaining, and not take responsibility and action”

The Commissioner said residents cannot keep complaining and blaming the government while they are shirking in their responsibilities, adding that the care of the environment is a collaborative project for the government and the citizens.

He stressed that residents must take the initiative and take ownership to build a culture, saying that overtime, residents neglected the cleanliness culture and have condoned living in dirty and despicable environment.

He stated that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will be a monthly tradition the same way it is being observed in all markets in Lagos State on Thursdays between the hours of 7:00a.m. and 10:00a.m.

“Why can’t we take two hours in 30 or 31 days in a month to do the cleanup? That is a question we should ask ourselves; we cannot keep saying “this place is smelly, that place is dirty.” It’s a responsibility on us, and let us participate.

He informed residents that major transport unions in the state which account for about 90per cent of the vehicles on the road had demonstrated their support by pledging not to deploy their vehicles on the roads from the major parks/ terminus between the hours of 6:30a.m. and 8:30a.m. on Saturday.

“If government vehicles say they are not moving because they want people to engage in that program, what will it cost us to just stay at home and then clean up our environment for just two hour?” he said.

He said the state deliberately chose the time between 6:30 to 8:30 in order for residents to still move out after 8:30 to engage in daily endeavours.

The Commissioner said there are exceptions for people who have emergencies, already scheduled flights as well as students billed to write Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams as they will not be stopped, adding that Lagos State government is not unreasonable in its decisions.

He mentioned that Environmental health and enforcement officers have been empowered by the law to monitor and inspect properties during the Exercise adding that any property found to be dirty will be served an abatement notice during the exercise.

The Commissioner also assured Lagosians, that LAWMA has been fully mobilised and would deploy men and equipment to ensure quick evacuation of waste generated during and after the exercise.

Also, Head of Geocycle, LAFARGE Africa PLC, Ms.Temitope Dosunmu said Lafarge Africa is ready to collaborate with the state Government for a Cleaner Future and Zero Waste Vision.

She said the collaboration focuses on improving waste management systems—starting from efficient collection and proper sorting, to handling non-recyclable materials responsibly.

She stated that rather than allowing waste to harm the environment, waste recovered during the exercise will be transported to Lafarge’s facilities, where they will be carefully processed and transformed.

She said this innovative approach will not only reduce environmental pollution but also transform waste into valuable resources.