Lagos urges full citizens’ participation for cleaner environment

Surulere Emerges Cleanest Local Council
Lagos State Government, yesterday, sought full participation of citizens in its efforts to achieve a cleaner environment as the 2021 sanitation competition for the cleanest local council came to a climax with award of prices.
 
Wife of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lady, Dr. Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who spoke during the presentation of prizes such as mini vans to the cleanest Local Council in the metropolitan, urban and sub urban categories, said the task cannot be left to only the government.
   
Represented by Mrs Oyindamola Ogunsanwo, she reiterated that the failure of service delivery to people and communities and lack of sustainable outcomes are direct results of the non-participation of the people.
 

“When sanitation conditions are poor, diseases and other health-related problems will be prevalent; it has been established by experts that the state of health of a particular location can be linked with the state of the environment of the said location. They are intertwined,” she said.

She observed that following the cancellation of the monthly environmental sanitation in 2016, there has been no opportunity to tour all Local Councils and Local Development Areas in the State, aside the market sanitation initiative of the Office of the Lagos State First lady being coordinated by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) and other important MDAs.

“To close this gap, we have deemed it fit to organise an annual sanitation competition amongst all LGAs/LCDAs to assess the sanitation status of the entire State and reward the LGAs/LCDAs that are outstanding in areas of environmental management” she said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, stated that in a rapidly urbanising society like Lagos, sustainable solid waste management practices remains a key challenge, adding that poor waste management causes air pollution, water pollution, as well as marine litters and all these contribute to climate change.

Bello said the interventions carried out by the State since 2003 in terms of waste management are targeted towards building required capacities and make it business friendly for all investments. 

“It sad that Local Council authorities have abdicated their constitutional responsibilities on solid waste management, which is one their basic functions,” he said. 

The Commissioner stressed that all LGAs/LCDAs must have a change of orientation and be alive to their constitutional responsibilities by working towards acquiring the needed capacities
 
According to him, it was based on the aforementioned that the Ministry, with approval of Mr Governor, resuscitated the yearly environmental sanitation competition among LGA and LCDAs to raise peoples’ consciousness on the need to prioritise sanitation and be a vehicle of change for the larger society. 

Bello informed that the criteria employed in the course of the assessments includes solid waste management practice across the communities, roads/ street cleanliness, open defecation and urination, markets’ sanitation status, sanitation status of motor parks and garages, primary health centres, Local Council Secretariats and general aesthetics of the LGAs/LCDAs as a whole. 

“While several strategies may be available for managing these challenges, monitoring and interventions at the level of the LGs/LCDAs would go a long way to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment. It would not only contribute to improved sanitation for communities but also improved socio-economic development,” he stressed.

He stated that the LGAs/LCDAs Award were categorised into Metropolitan, Urban and Sub-Urban, for ease of assessment, while awards were given to the cleanest Market, Motor Park, Primary Health Centre and MDAs in the old and new Secretariats of the State.

The Permanent Secretary Office of Environmental Services, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye who also spoke, said the year 2021 Sanitation Competition Awards Ceremony is a testimony that must be a continuous event for generations to come.

She said it has been the motivating pillar of environmental sanitation cleanliness in Local Councils/Local Council Development Areas.

In a goodwill message, the Chairman of Igbogbo Baiyeku LCDA, Hon Sesan Daini, appreciated the gesture behind the awards, saying it would witness a more robust participation next year.

Also speaking, the Managing director of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, said his agency was involved in the grading process of the competition and he can testify that the result is very fair.

Meanwhile, winners emerged in different categories with Surulere LGA, Epe LGA and Oriade LCDA, emerging the cleanest Local Councils and LCDA in the Metropolitan, Urban and Sub-Urban categories respectively. The three councils won a plaque and a branded Suzuki mini bus each.

Prizes were also given to the cleanest market, cleanest Motor Park, cleanest local council headquarters and the cleanest Primary Health care centre.