LAGOS ENVIRONMENT AND THE CLEANER LAGOS’ INITIATIVE

Mukaila Sanusi

It is no longer news that Lagos State, created by military fiat in 1967, turns fifty this year. Having gone through phases in its development, the state marks its Golden Jubilee in a grand style with series of activities, some of which are fundamental as they impose inevitable changes in the entire landscape. In this category are series of projects being commissioned such as the Aboru link Bridge, Abule Egba flyover, Berger inter-change and the Badagry Parks and Gardens, to mention a few.

Of no less importance and equally significant is the State's resolve to redefine its solid waste management sector through the well-articulated Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) which is calculated to bring about the transformation of the entire gamut of solid waste management in the state.

According to the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, the CLI will birth a new system of solid waste management that is devoid of the challenges of the old system which is fraught with deficiencies across the entire process chain; from insufficient collection services, to inefficient transportation methods and abysmal disposal practices, that are not only wasteful in terms of resource utilization but also injurious to environmental and public health.

Conversely, the CLI, through well-defined and interlinked components, will generate a new financially viable and technology-driven sub-sector to the Lagos economy, thereby creating new businesses and job opportunities to ensure that Lagos State remains a model in the country. These components are: Residential Waste Collection and Processing, Commercial/ Industrial Waste Collection, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Drainage Maintenance, Provision of Engineered/ hazardous Sanitary Landfill and Manual/ Mechanised Street Sweeping. Others are the provision of Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) and Marine Waste Collection.

As part of its enormous benefits to Lagosians, the new initiative offers a bumper package which includes the engagement of an environmental consortium, with proven expertise and modern technology, to provide waste collection, processing and disposal services, the provision of 600 brand new, environment friendly compactors by the concessionaire, the provision of over 900,000 waste bins that are electronically tracked for ease of monitoring and the creation of over 40,000 jobs for residents, including 27, 500 Community Sanitation Workers (CSW) who are to work within their residences in the entire 377 political wards in Lagos State and are to be handsomely remunerated above the minimum wage of N18,000 with modern kits and life insurance.

The readiness of the Akinwunmi Ambode Administration to write its name in gold by seeing this reform through at this auspicious period of the golden jubilee of Lagos State, which is acclaimed as Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence, is real as the initiative has gone beyond rhetoric. To back the commitment of the Governor of Lagos State to give a new lease of life to Solid Waste Management in the state, the reform process has since begun with the signing of the new Environmental Management Protection Law, 2017, engagement of the environmental consortium that will henceforth manage domestic solid waste, commencement of the recertification of the present PSP operators in readiness for moving them from the domestic sector to service the commercial and industrial sectors and the setting in motion of other transitional arrangements that will make the target date of July for the commencement of the new system a reality.

No doubt, governance is a two-sided coin, which implies that the government, being entrusted with the people’s mandate, must show direction and leadership through clear and benevolent policies and programme, while the governed must fulfill their obligations by cooperating with the government to ensure the success of every well-meaning policy.

Therefore, Lagosians at this point in the chequered history of the state have the enviable responsibility of supporting the government in ensuring that Lagos State, as it enters its 50th year, does away with unclean practice of the past and take its rightful position among the smart cities of the world, which have not only achieved seamless fusion of all sectors of their economy but have also turned waste to wealth and achieved the zero-waste practice.

In clear terms, Lagosians must exercise full cooperation by rewarding service with payment as the success of the new system requires that they pay regularly on annual basis for the quality service to be rendered by the waste disposal company, while the government has put in place an effective mechanism to monitor and ensure satisfactory service.

Moreover, the onus is on the people of Lagos State to follow the new regime of waste disposal practice such as waste sorting, separation and bagging that is bound to emerge with the new system.

Just as the government, Lagosians also have the responsibility to ensure a cleaner Lagos by monitoring and reporting both unsanitary practices and acts that are capable of undermining the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative which is here to benefit all of us by making our beloved state cleaner, healthier and more livable.

It is quite important for Lagos residents to have an attitudinal change towards the environment. No matter the level of government’s commitment to upgrading infrastructure and improving the aesthetics of the State, if residents are not on same page with government, it might simply amount to wasted efforts. This is why the campaign for improved sanitary culture should not be left for government alone. The media, artists, comedians, religious bodies, Community Development Associations and Civil Society Groups etc should be actively involved.
On its part, the State government  will continue to explore opportunity of its diverse town hall meetings and other such public outreaches to further impress on Lagosians on the imperative of living a dignified life through proper sanitation.

Without a doubt, protecting the environment remains the best way to protect the society against diseases and other harmful environmental hazards.

Sanusi is of the Public Affairs Department, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Alausa, Ikeja.