Lagos State has rewarded local governments, which distinguished themselves in cleanliness in 2022, with awards and work tools, to improve hygiene.
The government urged residents to join the battle against environmental nuisances.
The ceremony was held yesterday at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.
Wife of the governor, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, advised residents to join the battle against poor waste handling, self-inflicted flooding, overgrown vegetation, open defecation and indiscriminate waste dumping.
Mrs. Sanwo-Olu, represented by Mrs. Modupe Akewusola, said the award was to encourage community participation in cleanliness, and to build synergy between Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government, public institutions, sector leaders, youths and private sector towards best hygiene practices.
She added: “The current administration’s focus, through the Health and Environment pillars of the THEMES agenda, is a greater Lagos Rising. The competition was initiated to identify and recognise the cleanest local governments, markets, primary health centres, MDAs, and raise awareness on the need to ensure a clean environment across the state.
“It is also to encourage local government actors to be part of environmental management, and to promote attitudinal change through awareness creation and education on the importance of sanitation and good environmental best practices.”
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, said the annual sanitation competition among councils was resuscitated in 2021 after the monthly environmental sanitation was cancelled in 2016 through a judicial pronouncement.
He said the competition was introduced to spur actions from the local communities towards a sustainable environment, and to raise people’s consciousness on the need to prioritise sanitation in their communities.
“I will not hesitate to express our displeasure at the disposition of many of our local governments/local council development areas to their responsibility as it relates to environmental management vis-a-vis solid waste management, tertiary drains maintenance and vegetal nuisances, particularly on major roads,” he said.
Bello called on actors in the environment sector, including LAWMA, LASPARK, LASEPA, KAI and others, to rejig their policy actions, activities, synergise and deliver a clean and healthy environment to the people.
High point of the event was the presentation of plaques and three pick-up trucks to each of the three cleanest local governments -Yaba LCDA (metropolitan), Epe (urban) and Eredo (sub-urban).
Winners were also recognised for the cleanest markets, cleanest primary health care centres and cleanest MDAs.