The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, and 2023 Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, have expressed differing views over the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state.
Wahab, in a statement posted on his official X account on Friday night, urged residents to participate in the exercise scheduled between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
Addressing concerns about the legality of the exercise, Wahab stated that the government had secured a favourable ruling.
He wrote, “Tomorrow morning, between 6:30 am and 8:30 am, we begin a new chapter in our collective journey toward a cleaner Lagos. The monthly environmental sanitation exercise returns, and I am calling on every resident to come out and participate actively.”
“No court pronouncement has invalidated this exercise. The State proceeded to the Court of Appeal, and judgment was delivered in our favour.
“The Court affirmed that the laws used for the implementation and enforcement of environmental sanitation are legitimate and constitutional,” he added.
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He emphasised that environmental cleanliness requires shared responsibility between the government and citizens.
“We cannot keep complaining about dirty surroundings and blaming the government while shirking our own responsibilities.
“The care of our environment is a collaborative project between government and citizens,” Wahab said.
Reacting to the development, Rhodes-Vivour criticised the approach, describing it as outdated and ineffective.
“Shutting down a city of 20 million people to clean their immediate environment is parochial and lacks imagination,” he said.
He argued that the real challenge lies in waste management systems rather than periodic clean-up exercises.
“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. Anything short of rethinking this system is cosmetic and unimaginative,” he added.
Responding, Wahab rejected the claim that the exercise amounts to a shutdown of the state, noting that residents are only required to dedicate a short period monthly.
“That is not a shutdown… that is called taking responsibility,” he said.
The commissioner also highlighted ongoing government efforts to improve waste management infrastructure.
“We have banned single-use plastics, we are converting Olusosun landfill to energy, we are deploying biogas facilities in our markets, we are partnering with Lafarge to turn waste into valuable resources, and we are empowering young innovators with technology to improve sanitation access. These are not cosmetic actions. They are structural changes,” Wahab stated.
He maintained that citizen participation remains critical to achieving a cleaner environment.
“You cannot complain about flooding while dumping refuse in drains. You cannot demand a cleaner city while sweeping waste into the road,” he said.
Wahab concluded by stressing that the sanitation exercise complements broader reforms and helps rebuild a culture of environmental responsibility.
“We welcome objective criticism that offers solutions. But dismissing a civic exercise as unimaginative, while offering no alternative path to citizen participation, does not move us forward,” he added.
