The Lagos state government says it will resume the monthly environmental sanitation exercise on April 25.
Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment and water resources in Lagos, announced the development on Saturday, shortly after Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state; and Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor; took to symbolic cleaning of certain streets to mark the return of the exercise.
The state-wide cleaning by residents is returning nine years after it was suspended in November 2016 following a court ruling against the restriction of movement during the exercise.
A court of appeal held that restricting residents’ movement during the sanitation hours violated citizens’ rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.
Before the suspension, the exercise was held on the last Saturday of every month between 7am and 10am.
Wahab said the sanitation exercise will now take place on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30am to 8:30am.
“During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages, and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility,” Wahab said.
“This exercise is a collective responsibility and a vital part of our commitment to a cleaner, healthier and flood-resilient Lagos. It will be backed with the full enforcement weight of the Lagos State Government.”
Wahab described the decision to resume the exercise as an “audacious step” by the state government, noting that it took more than a year of consultations and deliberations before authorities agreed to reintroduce the monthly sanitation exercise.
