Residents of Lagos have praised the state government’s ongoing evacuation of accumulated refuse, describing the exercise as a welcome relief after weeks of overflowing waste heaps across several communities.
Speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, the residents said the clean-up had significantly improved environmental sanitation in many parts of the state, while urging authorities to sustain the effort and extend it to areas yet to benefit.
A trader at Oshodi Oke, Mrs Mariam Adebayo, said the removal of refuse that had piled up near the market had made the environment cleaner and more attractive to customers.
“The difference is obvious. Customers no longer complain about the offensive smell, and the area looks much cleaner. We hope the government will make this a continuous exercise,” she said.
In Mushin, Ms Solanke Oladipo, who resides near Daleko Bridge, welcomed the exercise but called for faster waste evacuation in flood-prone areas.
She noted that delayed waste removal often clogs drainage channels during rainfall, worsening flooding in the area.
Commercial driver Joseph Ogbodo, who operates along the Lekki-Epe corridor, also commended the cleaner roadsides but urged residents to complement the government’s efforts by disposing of waste responsibly.
“We appreciate what the government is doing, but residents also have a role to play. Some people still dump refuse on road medians at night. If that continues, the heaps will return,” he said.
In Egbeda, resident Mrs Nkechi Eke called for more regular household waste collection, saying delayed evacuation often pushes residents to dump refuse in open spaces.
Similarly, a Yaba resident, Mrs Stella Babatunde, urged the government to intensify public enlightenment campaigns and strictly enforce environmental laws against offenders.
According to her, consistent enforcement and public awareness are essential to changing waste disposal habits and maintaining a cleaner environment.
The residents agreed that while the ongoing clean-up has restored hope for a cleaner Lagos, sustained waste evacuation and stricter compliance with environmental regulations are necessary to prevent a return of indiscriminate dumping and refuse build-up.
