By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
The Lagos State Government has provided further details on the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, scheduled to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with movement restrictions and enforcement measures in place.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the exercise will henceforth hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
During the period, movement across the state will be restricted to enable residents to carry out thorough cleaning of their homes, surroundings, and drainage frontages.
He explained that enforcement teams comprising officials of the Ministry of the Environment, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and local government sanitation inspectors will conduct inspections during and after the sanitation window to ensure compliance.
Wahab warned that defaulters would be sanctioned in line with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.
He also stated that LAWMA intervention trucks would move around to cart away bagged wastes generated during the exercise, adding that rewards would be given to the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area, and the cleanest street as part of efforts to encourage healthy competition and community participation.
“We urge all residents to take ownership of this exercise and join hands with the government in building a cleaner, safer and more sustainable Lagos,” he said.
The clarification follows the symbolic flag-off of the exercise along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on March 14, ahead of its full implementation later this month.
The state government had earlier announced in March that the sanitation exercise would resume nearly a decade after it was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the programme.
While some residents have welcomed the move, saying it could curb indiscriminate waste disposal and reduce flooding, others have raised concerns about enforcement, warning that movement restrictions could be abused and calling for sustained public education on proper waste management.
