Lagos to restrict movement for sanitation

There will be restriction of human and vehicular movements across Lagos State on Saturday as the state observes its monthly environmental sanitation.

A statement on Wednesday by the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, stated that residents were expected to stay indoors from 7am to 10am to clean up their surroundings.

Adajare asked Lagosians to develop a culture of cleanliness.

“Apart from this state-organised exercise, cleaning of our environment should be an everyday affair. Our environment is everything.”He said, “Lagosians are advised to actively participate in the exercise through the cleaning of their homes, the drains in their frontages and their immediate environment.

The commissioner appealed to residents to properly dispose their waste through LAWMA and other authorised PSP operators, adding that dumping of waste into canals would impede the flow of water in drainage channels.

He warned those patronising cart pushers to desist from the illegal act, saying the coverage of the PSP operators had been widened to effectively reach every resident.

“In as much as the state is committed to ensuring that our canals and channels are cleared at all times, Lagosians should also desist from dumping refuse into canals so we can attain a flood-free Lagos.

“For instance, in anticipation of the early rains this year, the drainage maintenance department and the emergency flood abatement department have commenced massive cleaning and dredging of drains and canals across the state in order to reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of flooding in the state,” he added.

Adejare urged bus operators, transport owners and transport workers’ unions to comply with the restriction order to ensure full participation of residents in the sanitation exercise.

He said any vehicle caught violating the order would be dealt with, while passengers in the vehicles would also be prosecuted.

The commissioner assured that law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria   Police Force, and officials of LAWMA, LASTMA and KAI, had been fully mobilised to enforce the order.