Lagos plans cleanliness contest among councils as monthly sanitation continues
- Lagos will launch a cleanliness competition across its 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, with the cleanest area to be announced soon.
- Governor's wife Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu defended the monthly sanitation exercise during Saturday's monitoring in Ikorodu.
- In Ikeja, Head of Service Bode Agoro warned residents against dumping waste in canals, saying it raises flood risk.
Lagos State plans to launch a cleanliness competition covering all 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, with the cleanest community in the state to be named soon.
The wife of the governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, announced the plan on Saturday during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, this time monitored in Ikorodu. It was the seventh monthly cleanup since the exercise resumed in March.
She said she was impressed by what she saw in Ikorodu, praising residents, traders, waste workers and children who started cleaning before dawn.
“I am very impressed. I have noticed that they have taken our environmental sanitation very seriously,” she said.
She urged residents not to wait for the monthly exercise alone, and urged Ikorodu to aim for first place in the coming contest.
Flood warning in Ikeja
In Ikeja, the Head of Service, Mr Bode Agoro, led a separate cleanup and warned residents against dumping refuse into canals and drainage channels.
He said officials saw people throwing waste into waterways during the exercise, and warned that blocked drains raise the risk of flash flooding. He said the Ministry of the Environment has been alerted to clear the channels, and that plans are being drawn up with drainage agencies to rebuild key infrastructure.
But he warned that engineering fixes will fail if residents keep dumping waste.
Ikeja Local Government chairman Akeem Olalekan Dauda, known as AKOD, said the council is running awareness campaigns against illegal dumping and praised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for keeping the monthly sanitation schedule.
The Ikeja exercise covered Onilekere, Saidu, Olumo, Ijesha Close and Olukoyi streets.
Why it matters
Blocked drains are a major cause of flash floods in Lagos, which can swallow homes, shops and vehicles during the rainy season and disrupt travel and business.
The monthly sanitation has faced public criticism, with some residents questioning whether it is worth the cost and disruption. Mrs Sanwo-Olu rejected that view, comparing the repeated exercise to the safety briefing passengers hear on every flight, whether they sit in first class or economy.
“It might seem unnecessary to some people, but the awareness is a continuous exercise,” she said.
What happens next
The state says the cleanliness contest will involve all councils, and the cleanest environment in Lagos will be announced soon. The monthly sanitation exercise is expected to continue.
