Editor
As the weekly sanitation Advocacy Campaign train progresses to Bariga LCDA, the Lagos State Government on Sunday reiterated the importance of exemplary sanitation practices among all residents to ensure a clean, flood-free, safe, and sustainable environment throughout the state.
This emphasis was articulated by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, during the Weekly Community-Based Environmental Sanitation Advocacy campaign held at Omobokun Street, Ekimogun Underbridge Iyana Oworo, Bariga Local Council Development Area.
He underscored the necessity for all residents to incorporate exemplary sanitation practices into their daily routines.
Mr. Wahab highlighted that the Weekly Community-Based Environmental Sanitation Advocacy campaign was instituted to foster exemplary sanitation practices among residents prior to the official commencement of the monthly Sanitation Exercise.
“We aim to intensify awareness and advocacy before the formal initiation of the monthly environmental Sanitation, which will soon be announced by the Governor,” he remarked.
He noted that certain residences in the vicinity have been inspected and discovered to have directed their septic tanks into the drainages, while others have constructed their fences over drainage channels. These properties will soon be sealed by the appropriate Agency.
He urged residents to collaborate with the Government by routinely cleaning the drainages in front of their homes and refraining from the illicit disposal of waste, emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility for all government-provided infrastructure.
Addressing the issue of flooding in the area, Wahab expressed that the Government will reassess the community members’ claims that the sand filling carried out at Oworo end is responsible for the flooding incidents in the Ekimogun area. He affirmed the Government’s commitment to offering a lasting solution to the flooding challenges in the area.
He affirmed that the environmental advocacy campaign has yielded positive results, as the communities previously visited at the onset of the advocacy program have been revisited, maintaining the cleanliness and healthiness of the communities.
Wahab encouraged residents to adopt Good Environmental Habits, emphasizing that this would alleviate the strain on the healthcare sector and have positive effects on the government-provided infrastructure.
The Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area, Honourable Kolade Alabi, lamented the deteriorating state of the Ekimogun Road despite being commissioned by Governor Sanwo-Olu, attributing it to the unsanitary behaviors of residents.
“We, the residents of Bariga, must desist from littering our roads and canals with waste, bag our waste within our homes, and consistently engage the PSP,” he urged.
He announced the Government’s commitment to ensuring a perpetually clean environment, stipulating that every household in Bariga must possess a bin provided by the Government at a reasonable cost.
The Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) disclosed that Bariga Local Government has been designated to host a recycling facility, part of the Waste to Wealth initiative aimed at curbing illegal waste disposal in the area.
He called upon all residents to cooperate with the Government in keeping Lagos free of refuse, announcing the imminent provision of waste bins to tenements in Bariga.
In response, the Senior Special Assistant on Environmental Health, Bariga Local Government, Hon. Suliat Oguns, affirmed the Bariga Community’s commitment to proper waste disposal and effective utilization of the State Government’s infrastructure.
