By Uchechi Afonne
The Lagos State Government and Bariga Local Government (LG) have urged residents to support environmental sanitation efforts and take greater responsibility for keeping their communities clean.
The state Head of Service, Mr Olabode Agoro, made the call during the state’s environmental sanitation exercise on Saturday in Bariga.
Agoro, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Mrs Sukanmi Oyegbola, said government officials participated in the exercise to encourage residents to embrace environmental cleanliness.
“When we come out to clean, others should join us. So, we are all here to do it together,” he said.
He expressed concern over the residents’ poor participation, urging them to clean their surroundings regularly, rather than wait for designated sanitation days.
“We expect them to come out en masse, clean their environment on a daily basis. You do not have to wait until it is month end,” he said.
Agoro said environmental sanitation required collaboration between government and residents, particularly because cleanliness was essential to public health.
He identified waterlogging and blocked drainage channels around Emmanuel Church St. and Adetoke St., Bariga, as major environmental concerns requiring urgent attention.
Agoro said the Bariga LG and the state government would collaborate to restore free water flow and rehabilitate the affected canal.
“The canal is going to be worked on as well. Some houses may have to go, if they have to go,” she said.
The head of service said the Community Development Association had pledged to cooperate with the government during efforts to address the environmental challenges.
Agoro also announced that consequence management would be applied against businesses and residents that failed to maintain environmental standards.
On waste management, he said the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) was working to improve waste evacuation across the state.
“LAWMA is working seriously to ensure that the environment is clean. We have trucks that go about on a daily basis,” he said.
He, however, attributed part of the waste management challenge to residents’ reluctance to pay required waste collection fees.
“People do not want to pay even the token that is required to move their refuse, and that is the problem,” he said.
Agoro urged residents to pay their dues and comply with environmental regulations, stressing that cleaner communities required shared responsibility.
“You must pay your dues and you pay your fines. So we’re going to start with the consequence management,” he said.
Similarly, the Chairman of Bariga LG, Mrs Adedeji Omope, urged residents to support government efforts toward achieving a cleaner environment.
Omope said government could not tackle waste management challenges alone, stressing that residents must contribute by keeping their surroundings clean.
She urged residents to participate in sanitation activities, pay waste collection fees and avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Omope, who personally participated in the cleaning exercise, stressed the importance of leading by example in encouraging residents to embrace environmental responsibility.
The chairman also urged residents to dispose of waste, including ashes, properly rather than dumping them indiscriminately.
A resident of Adetoke St., who simply wants to be addressed as Sunday, blamed blocked drainage channels for stagnant water and increased mosquito breeding in the community.
Sunday, who said he had lived in the area for eight years, alleged that some residents had built structures over drainage channels.
He said the road was previously wider and the drainage functioned properly before the alleged obstruction disrupted water flow.
“We that are living here, we buy malaria medicine 24/7,” Sunday said, describing the health burden caused by stagnant water.
He alleged that political considerations had delayed efforts to address the problem, with some residents opposing intervention over fears of losing their structures.
“They should not play politics on people’s lives,” he said, urging authorities to take decisive action to restore the drainage system. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Esenvosa Izah