The Lagos State Government has announced the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, nearly a decade after it was discontinued.
Residents of the state will be expected to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in front of their homes, and dispose of waste properly as part of renewed efforts to improve environmental hygiene and address waste management challenges.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, noting that the exercise will officially resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
According to him, the sanitation exercise will take place on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
“I am pleased to inform all Lagosians that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will resume effective Saturday, 25th April 2026, holding on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
“During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages, and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility,” Wahab said.
He urged residents to embrace the initiative as a shared responsibility aimed at building a cleaner and healthier city, adding that the state government would enforce strict compliance.
“This exercise is a collective responsibility and a vital part of our commitment to a cleaner, healthier, and flood-resilient Lagos. It will also be backed with the full enforcement weight of the Lagos State Government,” he added.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Wahab said the government was reviving a long-standing sanitation culture that had once been part of everyday life in Lagos.
He noted that before 2016, residents regularly set aside time each month to clean their surroundings and maintain a healthy environment.
However, he said the discontinuation of the exercise contributed to growing environmental challenges in the state, including poor waste disposal and blocked drainage systems.
“Waste, debt, and environmental challenges have become an existential issue for us as a state. It has taken over a year of discussions and consultations for us to agree that the time has come to reintroduce the monthly environmental sanitation,” Wahab said.
He appealed to Lagos residents to support the initiative by dedicating a few hours each month to cleaning their environment.
“In our marketplaces, environmental sanitation is observed every Thursday. But this time, we are saying that as a state, we should once again set aside a day every month to clean our surroundings, as was the practice before 2016,” he said.
The monthly sanitation exercise, which was previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a court ruling that restricted movement during the exercise.
Its suspension coincided with increasing waste management concerns across parts of the state, including clogged drainage systems and indiscriminate refuse disposal.
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