LAGOS DEFENDS MONTHLY SANITATION EXERCISE, DISMISSES RHODES-VIVOUR’S CRITICISM

Read Time:2 Minute, 56 Second

By ‘Sefiu Ajape

The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has defended the state’s planned monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing it as a civic responsibility rather than a “shutdown” of the city.

Wahab was responding to comments by former Lagos Labour Party governorship candidate and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who had criticised the initiative as “parochial” and lacking innovation, arguing that it fails to address deeper waste management challenges in the state.

Defending the policy in a detailed response on X, Wahab rejected claims that the exercise would significantly disrupt economic activities.

“Shutting down a city of over 20 million people is not what we are doing. We are asking residents to dedicate one-hundred-and-twenty minutes, once every thirty days, to clean their immediate surroundings. That is not a shutdown. That is called taking responsibility,” he wrote.

He explained that the monthly exercise is designed to strengthen environmental discipline and encourage citizen participation, adding that it reinforces civic awareness, drainage maintenance, enforcement windows, community ownership, and improved waste disposal practices.

Wahab also stressed that the initiative is not a substitute for structural reforms but part of a wider waste management strategy.

“I agree completely that waste management logistics, from collection to disposal to recycling, are critical,” he said, noting that the state had introduced several environmental interventions over the past year.

According to him, these include restrictions on single-use plastics, waste-to-energy projects, biogas initiatives, and partnerships aimed at converting waste into usable resources.

“These are not cosmetic actions. They are structural changes to how Lagos manages waste,” he stated.

However, he maintained that infrastructure alone cannot solve the problem without public cooperation.

“But here is what I also know. No system of waste management, no matter how sophisticated, will succeed if citizens refuse to take basic responsibility for their environment,” Wahab said.

He urged residents to adopt better environmental habits, warning against indiscriminate dumping of waste.

“You cannot complain about flooding while dumping refuse in drains. You cannot demand a cleaner city while sweeping waste into the road,” he added.

Wahab described the monthly exercise as a complement to broader reforms, insisting that behavioural change is key to achieving a cleaner Lagos.

“The monthly sanitation exercise is not a substitute for systemic reform. It is a complement to it. It is about rebuilding a culture of environmental stewardship,” he said.

He also faulted critics of the initiative for dismissing it without offering alternatives.

“Dismissing a civic exercise as unimaginative, while offering no alternative path to citizen participation, does not move us forward,” he stated.

Wahab concluded that achieving a cleaner Lagos would require a combination of systems, enforcement, infrastructure, and collective responsibility.

“A cleaner Lagos will not be built by government alone,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour had earlier criticised the planned reintroduction of the exercise, describing it as “parochial” and lacking innovation. In a post on X, he argued that shutting down a megacity like Lagos does not address the root of waste management challenges.

“Shutting down a city of 20 million people to clean their immediate environment is parochial and lacks imagination,” he wrote.

He added, “For emphasis: the issue is not so much about cleaning your environment (which is great) but the logistics of waste management – starting from the collection, to disposal and recycling.”

According to him, without a systemic overhaul, the exercise would yield little long-term impact.

“Anything short of rethinking this system is cosmetic and unimaginative,” he stated.