Lagos agency seeks compliance with greenery law

To mitigate the impact of climate change and improve environmental sustainability in Lagos, the state government through its Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) has intensified advocacies for compliance with the greenery law.

Under the law, homeowners are expected to dedicate 30 per cent of their land space to trees and flowers.

This is to break the winds and free the air, thereby reducing the effect of climate change.

The law also stipulated that homeowners should not build hard tiles to allow water to percolate.

General Manager of the agency, Mrs. Adetoun Popoola, disclosed this during an interactive session with newsmen on the activities of LASPARK during the last two years.

She said the agency adopted a greenery evolution, which led to the planting of over 24, 125 trees and the creation of 10 parks to ensure an aesthetic, clean, safe and sustainable environment in the state.

To achieve this, she said the agency is encouraging partnership with private organisations in utilising open spaces to establish gardens and green zones for growing tropical and indigenous plants.

Such partnerships, she said, had yielded positive results with several parks springing up in several parts of the state.

Popoola, who extolled the positive roles of Rotary clubs and corporate organisations for imbibing the cleaner and greener Lagos initiatives, urged residents to take ownership of the gardens.

In his remarks, the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, noted the importance of trees, flowers and shrubs in tackling the precarious environmental state of Lagos, listed as one of the shrinking places in the world.

Bello, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services in the Ministry, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye, said greenery remains a solution to the climate change and biodiversity challenges.
 
She stressed the need for residents to imbibe change, adding that the state is working with non-motorised transportation systems and creating biking areas to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment.

According to her, the ministry is also working with other relevant agencies to reduce noise pollution and improve the health of the citizens.

She stressed that the need for citizens to plant and eat from their gardens since the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the importance of improving the environment.

Speaking, a partner with LASPARK and Director, Shodex Landmark Beautification Limited, Mr. Olusola Adekoya, commended the agency for its greenery projects and called on corporate organisations to support the agency through their Corporate Social Responsibility.

He said the state needs to plant 10 million trees yearly to make it one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

On her part, the managing director of RF Gardens, Ikoyi, Ms Tolu Olusoga extolled the agency’s efforts in improving the state’s aesthetics and involvement of the private sector in the initiatives.

Also, the Chief Executive officer of Global Perfect Gardens Limited, Mr. Adewunmi Ibuoye, who acknowledged the collaborative role of LASPARK in the growth of his horticultural business called for the cleaning of drainages and canals within the parks to boost the environment.

He also called for a reduction in the registration requirements to allow more private organisations to join the greenery Lagos initiatives.