The Lagos State Government has issued further clarification on the reintroduction of its monthly environmental sanitation exercise, warning residents to comply ahead of its scheduled resumption on April 25, 2026.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 22, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said: “The exercise will hold every last Saturday of the month between the hours of 6:30 am and 8:30 am. During this period, there will be controlled movement across the state to allow residents to carry out thorough cleaning of their homes, surroundings and drainage frontages.”
He added that enforcement teams made up of officials from the ministry, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, and local government sanitation inspectors would “conduct physical inspections during and after the sanitation window to ensure compliance,” warning that “defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.”
Wahab also said: “LAWMA intervention trucks will go around to cart away bagged wastes generated during the exercise,” noting that “there will be rewards for the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area, and the cleanest street as part of efforts to encourage healthy competition and community participation.”
He urged residents to cooperate with the initiative, stating: “We urge all residents to take ownership of this exercise and join hands with the government in building a cleaner, safer and more sustainable Lagos.”
The clarification follows the symbolic flag-off of the programme along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on March 14, ahead of its full implementation later this month.
The state government had earlier announced that the sanitation exercise would return nearly a decade after it was suspended in November 2016 following a legal ruling that restricted movement during the programme.
The move has drawn mixed reactions from residents, with some welcoming it as a way to tackle indiscriminate waste disposal and flooding, while others have raised concerns about enforcement and the potential for abuse of movement restrictions, calling for sustained public education on proper waste management.
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