Press Releases

The government of Lagos State has urged sand miners and dredgers in the State to be mindful of their impacts on the environment and operate in manners that would prioritise the protection of the environment.

This charge was giving today by Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, the Commissioner for the Environment during his welcome address at the 2017 World Soil Day which was marked in Ikeja with major stakeholders in the sand mining and dredging industry.

Adejare stated that in line with the theme of the year 2017 World Soil Day which is “Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground” the Lagos State Government decided to raise awareness on the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the increasing challenges in soil management through a seminar.

He said that organizations, communities and individuals around the world must be encouraged to give attention to the pressing issues affecting soils, such as soil contamination, degradation, over mining, oil spills, poor waste disposal, flood and erosion among other activities impacting negatively on soils.

He stressed that the soil must be protected because it was responsible for our food, shelter and sustenance while the quality of the soil impacts so many other critical elements like water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, plant growth and crop production.

“The message must be loud and clear; we must do all we can to protect and improve soil and its resources because it is the only home we have” he said.

He said that the ever growing population of Lagos State with the  attendant increase in demand for shelter and food brought about aggravating pressure on sand mining and dredging on land and water respectively, adding that these activities contributed to the impact of Climate Change and Sea Water Rise, resulting in heavy erosion of coastal communities and flooding in the State.

He said it was imperative for the State Government to engage the stakeholders in regular seminar to address the soil challenges and threats as well as regulations required for the overall achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2015-2030.

According to him: “The seminar will review some environmental challenges associated with sand mining and dredging in the State and appraise the prospects of the activities if carried out in sustainable patterns, showing scientific evidences as applicable across the globe”.

The Environment Commissioner reiterated that ensuring a safe, resilient and sustainable Lagos, through the conservation, protection and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic natural resources for the wellbeing of the citizenry in urban and rural areas of the State remained imperative to the government.

He advised residents to desist from indiscriminate disposal of spent oil, uncontrolled tree felling and urged tree planting to protect the soil from the ravaging effects of erosion.

Stressing government’s avowed commitment to the protection of the soil as a vital resource, Adejare warned those involved in illegal sand mining to desist as such would not be tolerated.

The 5^th of December has been designated by United Nations as the World Soil Day following the adoption of the 68^th UN General Assembly Resolution in 2013. The maiden edition in Nigeria was commemorated by Lagos State last year.

Mukaila Sanusi

Assistant Director, Public Affairs

Ministry of the Environment

5^th December, 2017

The Lagos State Government today joined the rest of the world to mark the World Toilet Day by promoting healthy sanitation practices among Lagosians

Speaking during the celebration of the 2017 World Toilet Day in Ojodu-Berger Bus Terminus, the Commissioner of the Environment, Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, maintained that the celebration brings to the front burner issues such as water, sanitation and hygiene.

According to him, proper handling of these critical issues would help reduce government expenditure on treatment of diseases and make more money available for other important public uses.

While emphasising the need for proper sanitation habit, Adejare said that by United Nations estimate, 2.5 percent of the world’s seven billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation while 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open.

“This has significant impacts on human health, dignity and security as well as the environment, social and economic development. The countries where open defecation is most widely practiced are the same countries with the highest mortality rate of children under five, high levels of under nutrition and poverty as well as large wealth disparities,” he said.

The Environment Commissioner stated that sanitation and toilet issues required urgent actions to stem the tide of diseases and bring about healthy citizenry.

His words: “This staggering statistics no doubt calls for urgent action among all stakeholders to prioritise toilet and sanitation issues, enhance access to water and sanitation facilities and as well spread awareness of the ills of undesirable sanitation practices.”

Adejare said that the administration of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode was making determined efforts to eradicate the menace of open defecation and urination through the provision of public toilets and upgrading of already existing facilities across the State.

“All public institutions in the State such as petrol filling stations, eateries and shopping malls are mandated to maintain clean toilets and give access to members of the public. We have also ensured that non-compliance attracts appropriate sanctions.” He said.

He said that the Lagos State Government’s commitment to attaining the smart-city status for the State could not be sacrificed at the altar of poor sanitation and inefficient solid waste management, stressing that the environment remained the State’s priority as it was important for maintaining a secure and more prosperous State.

He enjoined Lagosians to join the State crusade of attaining a cleaner, healthier, functional and sustainable environment, capable of promoting economic growth and well-being of the entire citizenry.

Jide Atansuyi

Chief Public Affairs Officer

Ministry of the Environment

23^rd November, 2017

The Lagos State Government has shared its experience in implementing the Cleaner Lagos Initiative with Ondo State, saying, as a matter of policy, it was always ready to share with other states of the federation, experience garnered in managing the State.

Speaking, while receiving his Ondo State Counterpart, Mr. Funsho Esan in Alausa on Thursday, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare said that Lagos had always been a reference point in terms of proactive policies and programmes, adding that the Cleaner Lagos Initiative was not an exception as other states including Kaduna and Ondo had come to understudy the implementation of this initiative.

He said that it was in the best interest of the country when states compare notes and learn from one another.

Adejare emphasized that the implementation of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative was a clear sign that the State was capable of taking care of its environment by creating the enabling environment for private sector investment in the waste management sector.

“We have adopted the Cleaner Lagos Initiative to address the Solid Waste Management sector’s financial challenge, technology gap and increasing waste generation, influenced by population increase”, he said.

He explained that as part of the reform in the sector, the Lagos State Government had concessioned the management of domestic waste to a renowned multinational company and recertified some of the existing PSP Operators to service the commercial sector.

According to him, the benefits of the new system included placement of about 900,000 electronically tracked waste bins across the state, the deployment of 500 new compactors, the establishment of engineered land fill sites and material recovery facilities as well as the creation of over 40,000 jobs, including 27,500 Community Sanitation Workers, who would manually sweep streets in the 377 wards of the state.

He urged the Ondo State Commissioner for Environment to consider the peculiarities of his state and strive at domesticating the Lagos State vision in the form that would best suit his state, saying that Lagos was quite different from Ondo State in some respects.

Earlier, the Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Funsho Essan, who stated  that he was in Lagos to tap into the State’s wealth of experience in  waste management especially through the solid waste management reform, tagged the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, remarked that Lagos over the  years had  succeeded  in managing waste effectively, despite its many challenges.

He stressed that his State would not hesitate to learn from Lagos State and adopt aspects of the Lagos State initiative, where possible, as this was in line with the on- going efforts to enhance regional cooperation in the South West.

Mukaila Sanusi

Assistant Director, Public Affairs

Ministry of the Environment

October 19, 2017

….obtains traders agreement on fencing

The Lagos State Government has asked traders, particularly those in Ogba market and its environs to vacate the road or face heavy sanctions, saying no one is permitted to convert the road, road medians, set-backs and walkways into markets or street shops.

This was made known by the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare during his inspection of enforcement activities at the Abibatu Mogaji Sunday Market, Oluwole mini Market and Ogba Retail Market on Thursday.

Adejare lamented that despite continuous advocacy, enlightenment and appeals from government, some traders were still of the habit of violating the extant environmental laws of the state by causing disorder and serious environmental infractions on the road through their activities.

He stated that the government would not tolerate the disregard of law from any quarters, particularly traders who were found of converting every available space into market, as such untoward acts needlessly inconvenience other law abiding citizens.

He said that all traders must vacate the roads in order to drastically reduce inconveniences to the people, enhance the sustainability of the environment and protect public infrastructure, which he said were often vandalized by hawkers and street traders, adding that refusal to leave the streets would meet with heavy sanctions.

‘’Our focus is to maintain sanity in our markets, now dotted with all manners of shanties and illegal structures, such as attachments to tenements and containers’’, he said.

He urged owners of streets shops to fence them off the road, if they must continue to exist as that is a way to reduce their havocs to the environment, while he enjoined traders in markets in the area to ensure proper sanitation of their markets.

He warned that if the fence were not erected within a reasonable time, the street shops would be demolished and tenements harboring them penalized according to relevant laws in the state.

Responding on behalf of owners of the street shops, the Chairman of Ogba-Oluwole Community Estate Association, Mr. Lateef Abass expressed their agreement with the conditions given by the government and pledged to support the environmental policies of government, stressing that it was in the best interest of all to do that.

Oluwaseyi Ogundimu

Principal Executive Officer (Public Affairs)

Ministry of the Environment

28^th September, 2017

… Arrests Five
… Vows to sustain environmental cleanliness

In its efforts to rid the environment of all infractions, the Lagos State Government has arrested five individuals for urinating openly on the streets of Lagos.

The five persons, Bokovou Ettiene, Ajetunmobi James, Adeuga Adetola, Emmanuel Adekola and Ishola Akanbi, were arrested by the Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe during his sanitation inspection tour of some Local Government Areas in the State on Thursday.

The Special Adviser who was on tour of Yaba, Mushin, Ojuwoye , Ojuelegba and Ojota areas of the State to ascertain the performance of the sanitation intervention initiative inaugurated to cart away refuse on the street of Lagos, reiterated the commitment of Lagos State Government to rid the State of all infractions amongst which were open urination and defection.

Hunpe, while addressing the arrested people, warned them to desist from such act, stressing that it was mandatory for all petrol stations and eateries in the state to make their toilets available to members of the public whom he urged to always avail such facilities for their convenience, in addition to the public toilets in the state.

“There is no excuse for open urination and defecation as we have public toilets all over the state, while eateries and filling stations are compelled by law to keep their toilets neat and make them available to members of the public”, he said.

Upon obtaining the commitment of the apprehended quintet, who pledged to henceforth champion the ‘no open urination” cause of the Lagos State Government, Hunpe warned them against such acts in the future, stressing that government would not hesitate to bring the law to bear on anyone who is caught in the act henceforth.

He decried the practice of open defecation and urination, stressing that the effects on the environment and the wellness of the people were too serious to be ignored.

His words “Not only do they pollute the underground water, they contaminate agricultural produce, aid the spread of diseases and incapacitate the workforce,”

Meanwhile, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe has expressed the commitment of the State Government to ensure the sustenance of the gains of the Sanitation Intervention Programme, which has ensured that the streets of Lagos are clean through the combined efforts of the Ministry of the Environment and LAWMA.

He expressed satisfaction at the level of the cleanliness of major streets in Yaba, Mushin and Ikeja and urged LAWMA and officers of the ministry to sustain the tempo of work, stating that all hands must be on deck to rid the state of refuse black spots.

While frowning at indiscriminate refuse disposal, he reminded Lagosians especially market women and men, who were fond of illegal dumping of refuse on the road, of the Lagos State Government policy on zero tolerance to all environmental infractions.

He restated government’s resolve to expeditiously apply regulatory and enforcement measures against contraventions of government policies and regulations.

He however enjoined residents to voluntarily comply with the extant State environmental laws, stressing that the environment, being relevant to all, should be properly maintained if we must attain environmental sustainability and socio -economic wellbeing.

Oluwaseyi Ogundimu
Principal Executive Officer (Public Affairs)
Ministry of the Environment

14th September, 2017

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has appointed Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola as the New General Manager of the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK).

Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, an environmentalist and young entrepreneur, was educated at Fisk University USA, Vanderbilt University and the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United Kingdom.

Abiola is coming to the saddle with a remarkable private sector experience and a passion for the environment, particularly in the waste recycling sector where she co-founded “WeCyclers”, a waste recycling company in consonance with the waste to wealth initiative of the State Government.

Mukaila Sanusi

Asst. Director, Public Affairs and Research

12^th September, 2017.

As Muslim faithfuls are observing the holy month of Ramadan, they have been urged to promote unity and peace and offer prayers to enhance peaceful co- existence amongst Lagosians.

This call was made by the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Samuel Babatunde Adejare while speaking at the 14^th edition of the annual SABACO Ramadan Lecture organized by Samuel Babatunde Adejare Campaign Organization (SABACO), held at the Blueroof, Okekoto ,Orile Agege last Friday.

The Commissioner who said that Ramadan teaches cleanliness, self-discipline, justice and fairness in the  society, called on all Muslims particularly in his constituency to reflect on these important lessons and make them a greater part of their daily lives to promote peaceful co-existence amongst the people.

Adejare who also used the opportunity to call on the people of Agege community to embrace cleanliness which is one of the hallmarks of the Islam, stressing that the on-going reforms in the solid waste management in Lagos State, tagged the Cleaner Lagos Initiative was in the interest of all Lagosians as it is one of the best ways to maintain cleanliness in the environment.

“Cleaner Lagos Initiative is aimed to protect the environment, human health and social living standards of Lagos residents by promoting an holistic approach to environmental challenges and ensuring improved operational efficiency” he said.

In his Sermon the Guest Speaker, Dr. Abdul Kareem AbdulLateef who is also the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Lagos State admonished everyone to ensure that they encouraged unity and oneness as entrenched in the Holy Quran. He further called on all Muslims to ensure that they promote togetherness amongst their neighbours and give room for religious tolerance.

The special guest and spiritual father of the day, Sheikh Habibulahi Adam Al-Ilory (OON), a member of the World Conference of Islamic Affairs urged all Muslims to seize the opportunity of the holy month to fervently pray for continued peace and progress in Lagos State.

The SABACO Ramadan Lecture is organized annually by the campaign organization of the Commissioner for the Environment Dr Samuel Babatunde Adejare to promote peace and support the people of his constituency.

-27,500 direct jobs for Community Sanitation Workers      

              -over 10,000 indirect jobs

As part of its job creation and empowerment drive, the Lagos State Government is creating 40,000 jobs through the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) which the government has embarked upon to reform the solid Waste Management sector in the state.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare disclosed this while briefing the press midweek in Alausa.

He stated that the CLI, as a job creation and empowerment programme, included a Community Sanitation Workers (CSW) Scheme that would expand the scope of the current Street Sweeping Programme from 4,500 sweepers to 27,500 CSWs to cover all of the 377 political wards in the State.

He added that 377 Ward Resident Contractors (WRCs) would be engaged while a competent Human Resource Management Company (HRMC) would also be engaged to train and deploy the CSWs to each Ward Resident Contractors that would then manage and supervise their activities.

Adejare maintained that the Community Sanitation Workers would be fully kitted and equipped to sweep the inner streets and take care of vegetal nuisance in their communities and would receive several incentives which include: tax reliefs and healthcare, life, injury and accident insurance benefits.

He said that one of the major benefits of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative is that it would lead to the deepening of economic complexity to create numerous new business opportunities such as the fabrication of bins and equipment and provision of supply services among others.

According to him, “the Cleaner Lagos Initiative will further guarantee the vision of the Lagos Sate Government’s commitment to the realisation of a sustainable and habitable environment.”

Mukaila Sanusi

Head, Public Affairs

Ministry of the Environment

20^th April,, 2017

In continuation of the on-going Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) advocacy, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, the Commissioner for the Environment, has urged Community Development Committees/ Community Development Associations to advocate CLI in their respective communities.

He made this call in Lagos Island on Tuesday at the CLI advocacy meeting with stakeholders in the Lagos Island division of the State.

According to him, the CLI is essentially for the benefit of the people as it is designed to tackle public health challenges through the attainment of a sustainable environment in addition to other benefits such as job creation, cleaner environment and wealth creation through healthy living.

He stressed that CDAs were strategically placed to advise the people to cooperate with the government by maintaining friendly dispensation to the new initiative and as well support the programme by embracing the Public Utility Levy which he said would be affordable.

“No doubt CLI will give value for the money paid by the people as government has engaged competent waste management company which is transforming the sector with over 500 brand new compactors, 900,000 waste bins, Transfer Loading Stations and Engineered Sanitary Landfill Site”, he said.

He urged members of CDC/CDAs to return to their communities as advocates of the CLI in view of its many advantages to the people of Lagos State.

Mukaila Sanusi

Assistant Director (Public Affairs)

Ministry of the Environment.

29^th August, 2017

LASG URGES LAGOSIANS TO BE MINDFUL OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS THEY CELEBRATE SALLAH

…….Says no sale of Rams on Highways and Roads.

The Lagos State Government has called on Lagosians to be mindful of the Environment as they celebrate the Id-l-Kabir festival this weekend.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare said that it was necessary to enlighten Lagosians that they should show utmost love to their environment even as they celebrate.

Adejare, who wished all Muslim adherents a happy celebration, urged Lagosians to respect the environment, bear in  mind that a lot of waste would be generated during the Sallah  and  dispose of animal waste properly as well as bag their refuse and put at designated points.

He assured Lagosians that the Sanitation Intervention Programme with the combined efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) was still on course to rid Lagos of refuse heaps.

He said that the administration of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had been in the fore front of the campaign for healthy people and cleaner environment, thus encouraging Lagosians to desist from acts that could have negative impacts on the environment.

His words: “to guide against the outbreak of epidemics, residents of this State must always ensure that they handle waste in the most appropriate way”

Meanwhile, Adejare reminded Lagosians that the Law against street trading was still in force, stressing that the Government would not tolerate any form of street trading which includes display of rams on major highways, road medians, lay-byes, gardens and parks  across the State.

He said that while it was not unusual for traders to take advantage of the season to market and sell rams, this must be done without defacing the state or compromising the wellness and wellbeing of Lagosians.

He urged Lagosians to take advantage of the various parks and gardens across the state during the celebration for leisure, funfair and relaxation as these parks were made for their use.

Mukaila Sanusi

Assistant Director (Public Affairs)

Ministry of the Environment.

29^th August, 2017