Lagos State has recorded an impressive level of compliance with the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, as authorities intensify calls for residents to embrace a culture of daily cleanliness.
During monitoring at Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area (LCDA) on Saturday, the wife of the governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, described residents’ participation as encouraging, noting that acceptance of the initiative is steadily growing across the state.
“I think the assessment for this morning is good. It was flagged off last month and we are having the first exercise today. We have seen residents come out to participate. It is a gradual process, and people are becoming more aware,” she said.
She observed that the restriction of movement between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. was largely obeyed, with traders staying off the streets while residents cleaned their surroundings.
“For a first-timer, I am impressed,” she added, urging Lagosians to sustain the momentum beyond the monthly exercise.
“You don’t have to wait till sanitation day. Clean your environment daily,” she said, adding that students were also mobilised to promote early civic responsibility.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that compliance across the state exceeded 98 per cent, attributing the success to voluntary participation and sustained grassroots sensitisation.
“Vehicles were largely off the roads, and people complied. Lagosians want to keep the state clean and safe,” Wahab said.
He explained that the government deliberately avoided strict enforcement, opting instead to build community ownership and long-term environmental responsibility.
“There is no law or judgment stopping Lagos State from restricting movement, but we chose to build consensus and participation,” he added, noting that the state would evaluate performance across councils and reward the cleanest local governments.
At the grassroots, Chairman of Ikoyi/Obalende LCDA, Bola Oladunjoye, said aggressive awareness campaigns in multiple languages helped drive participation.
“We deployed radio jingles, newspapers and grassroots sensitisation in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin to ensure wider reach,” he said.
In Agege, the Head of Service, Bode Agoro, also commended residents, describing the turnout as impressive for a first edition.
“For the very first day, it has been very good. The streets are clean,” he said, while calling for intensified sensitisation to sustain the gains.
Similarly, Chairman of Agege Local Government Area, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, highlighted ongoing sanitation efforts, including the deployment of over 250 sweepers, waste compactors and routine drainage maintenance.
He noted that the monthly sanitation exercise complements existing initiatives, stressing that enforcement would still be necessary to maintain compliance.
The sanitation exercise, held on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., is part of the Lagos State Government’s broader efforts to improve public health, promote environmental sustainability and revive a culture of cleanliness among residents.
