The Lagos State Government has announced plans to introduce monthly rewards for the cleanest local government area as part of efforts to strengthen environmental sanitation across the state.
The announcement was made by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, while monitoring the newly reintroduced environmental sanitation exercise in the Obalende area of Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to the commissioner, the initiative is designed to encourage healthy competition among local governments and promote a cleaner environment across the state. He explained that the government would assess all local government areas after each monthly exercise and recognise the cleanest among them.
“After today’s exercise, we will assess all local governments and announce the cleanest among them for recognition within the week,” Wahab said.
The monthly environmental sanitation exercise is scheduled to hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. It was recently reintroduced as part of efforts to restore environmental discipline in Nigeria’s most populated city.
Lagos, a coastal megacity with over 20 million residents, has long struggled with waste management challenges, flooding, and overcrowding. Poor waste disposal and blocked drainage systems have often worsened flooding during the rainy season, making environmental sanitation a key public health concern.
The commissioner commended residents for what he described as strong compliance during the exercise, estimating participation at over 98 per cent. He said the response showed that residents were willing to support efforts to keep the city clean and safe.
“You have seen the level of compliance yourself. It is mind-blowing and shows that Lagos residents have been waiting for this,” he said.
He also noted that commercial vehicles stayed off the roads during the exercise and many businesses complied with directives to pause activities for the two-hour period.
“Commercial vehicles stayed off the roads and residents complied because they want to keep Lagos clean and safe,” Wahab added.
He praised the cooperation of various stakeholders, including local government chairmen, who he said helped to spread awareness of the exercise to grassroots communities. According to him, the success of the programme depends heavily on community participation.
The commissioner explained that the goal of the initiative is to build a long-term culture of environmental responsibility among residents. He stressed that giving just two hours once a month to clean surroundings is a small sacrifice for the benefit of a healthier city.
“The idea is to build a culture of giving just 120 minutes in a month, which is not too much, to clean the environment and make Lagos clean and safe,” he said.
Wahab also addressed concerns about restrictions on movement during the exercise. He said there were existing court judgments supporting the state’s authority to enforce environmental laws, but the government has chosen to focus on voluntary compliance rather than strict enforcement.
“We have favourable judgments affirming our powers, but we chose to build community ownership rather than enforce strict restrictions,” he explained.
The reintroduction of the sanitation exercise marks a return to a policy that had been less strictly enforced in recent years. Environmental sanitation days were once a regular feature in many Nigerian states, especially during the 1980s and 1990s, when residents were required to stay indoors for a few hours to clean their surroundings.
Supporters of the policy say it helps reduce waste, prevent disease outbreaks, and improve public health. Critics, however, have often raised concerns about disruption to economic activities and the impact on daily livelihoods.
Also speaking during the exercise, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, described the turnout as encouraging and said the exercise recorded significant participation across the state.
She noted that this was the first full implementation since the programme was reintroduced last month.
“The exercise this morning is encouraging. It was flagged off last month and this is the first full implementation,” she said.
She added that residents complied with the guidelines, as markets and roadside trading activities were largely suspended during the sanitation period.
“People complied with the directive. Vendors did not display their goods and only those cleaning their environment were visible,” she said.
The First Lady said she was impressed by the level of compliance, especially for a first major exercise. She described it as a positive sign that residents are willing to support environmental cleanliness efforts.
“For a first-time exercise, I am impressed with the level of compliance,” she added.
She also encouraged residents to adopt daily cleaning habits rather than relying only on the monthly exercise. According to her, consistent cleanliness practices will have a greater impact on public health and the environment.
In addition, she said students were deliberately included in the programme to help build environmental awareness from a young age. She explained that involving children early would help develop a long-term culture of cleanliness.
“We brought students in to catch them young and build a culture of cleanliness among the younger generation,” she said.
As the monthly sanitation exercise continues, the Lagos State Government says it remains focused on building a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment for all residents. The introduction of rewards for the cleanest local government is expected to further encourage participation and improve results in the coming months.