Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has warned the state residents against patronising cart pushers for waste disposal.
Hamzat urged the residents to rather engage approved Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to ensure proper waste management and prevent flooding.
Hamzat spoke on Saturday while addressing journalists during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation at 21 Road, Festac Town in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area.
He said that patronising cart pushers encouraged dumping of refuse in canals and drains.
“What we need our people to do is to make sure that they patronise PSP operators, not the cart pushers, because those ones are not organised.
“With cart pushers, we don’t know where the refuse is ending up, but the PSP will take it to the landfills.
“That is why we are encouraging our people to make sure that they play their role so that garbage does not end up in canals and lead to flooding”.
According to him, the sanitation is aimed at engaging communities and instilling environmental responsibility in residents.
“We cannot be a people without a healthy environment. A cleaner environment is what makes a city and a state sustainable.
“That is why we are here to ensure that, across the state, people come out at least once in a month to clean their surroundings and ensure waste is properly disposed of,” Hamzat said.
He said that, with the growing population of Lagos, waste generation had increased significantly, necessitating improved evacuation strategies.
According to him, the state government plans to deploy additional 220 trucks to support PSP operators in evacuating refuse efficiently.
Hamzat emphasised that environmental sanitation was critical to public health and sustainable development, urging the residents to imbibe the culture of cleanliness.
“The idea is to engage our communities so that we can clean our environments better and ensure that waste ends up in landfills, not in drains”.
The deputy governor added that the government would continue to enforce environmental regulations to ensure compliance while encouraging residents to take ownership of their environments.
Hamzat commended Festac residents, including students, who he saw participating in the environmental sanitation.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said the state was transitioning to a system where waste would be treated as a resource.
The commissioner ruled out integrating cart pushers into formal waste management.
“Most of these cart pushers operate illegal dumps, and security findings show that some are involved in criminal activities.
“We cannot go that route,” Wahab said.
Earlier, the Chairman of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government, Prince Lanre Sanusi, described reintroduction of the monthly sanitation as impactful.
He said that residents’ participation in the exercise had improved steadily through sustained sensitisation.
He commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for reviving the initiative, and urged the residents to embrace environmental cleanliness.
“A healthy environment is a healthy people.
“We are not asking residents to do this for the government but for their own well-being. Let us keep our environment clean and stay healthy,” Sanusi said.
A resident of 21 Road, Festac Town, Mrs Hannah Daniel, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the reintroduction of monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos State was commendable.
According to her, the initiative has contributed to improved environmental hygiene.
“It encouraged residents to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their surroundings”.
She, however, decried continued dumping of refuse on road medians and expressed concern over delays in evacuating waste after the sanitation.
Daniel advised the state government to regulate operations of cart pushers to curb illegal refuse dumping and promote a more sustainable and healthier environment.
