The Lagos State Government has intensified enforcement against illegal waste dumping and other environmental violations as part of efforts to improve sanitation and tackle flooding across the state.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection of the recently cleared median along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that government officials used the inspection to assess compliance with directives prohibiting illegal occupation of the corridor and indiscriminate waste disposal.
Wahab said the state had committed significant public resources to reclaiming and restoring the area and would not allow illegal activities to return.
“We have done the work on the ground. The operation is once and for all, and we will patrol the area forever,” he said.
The commissioner also dismissed calls to concession the cleared median for landscaping, explaining that the corridor had been reserved for a future rail project.
“It is for the rail line coming this way. We have to keep it clean for them,” he added.
Wahab blamed indiscriminate waste disposal by residents and traders for worsening flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
He urged residents to subscribe to licensed Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators or contact the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in areas where PSP services are unavailable.
Describing the dumping of household refuse on road medians as unacceptable, Wahab said approved waste collection channels already exist across the state.
“Waste on the median comes from people’s homes that choose not to patronize PSP operators,” he said.
He assured residents that the government would continue to strengthen waste evacuation by expanding disposal channels and providing greater support for PSP operators.
“For those paying, LAWMA and PSP operators owe them efficient service. There are no excuses,” he said.
The commissioner revealed that the state had prosecuted more than 1,000 environmental offenders over the past year as part of its enforcement drive.
“Once there is a law, you must enforce it and attach consequences for bad behavior,” Wahab stated.
Explaining the recurring flash floods experienced in parts of Lagos, he said they occur when heavy rainfall coincides with high lagoon or sea levels, slowing the discharge of stormwater.
“If the rain stops, within one or two hours nature allows the water to recede. That is why we call it flash flooding,” he explained.
Wahab added that the government is implementing drainage expansion and other engineering projects to tackle persistent flooding in vulnerable communities across the state.
SOURCE: NAN
