Ayodele Olalere
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, has said the state has become cleaner, neater and environmental sector reinvigorated in the last one year.
Bello, during a ministerial briefings on Wednesday on one year activities of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the governor, said the present administration in Lagos State has reinvigorated the environmental sector in the last one year, restored the mandate of its agencies and has made the State cleaner.
The 2020 Ministerial Press Briefing is part of activities to commemorate the first year in office of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Governor of Lagos State and was held at the JJT Park, Alausa.
The Commissioner further disclosed that the Ministry had also in the last one year improved the drainage network in the state to facilitate free flow of water through its proper channels, and explained that all the drainage channels in the State are being touched in a continuous cleaning and maintaining exercise.
He added while some of the drainage channels had been cleaned up, they were being revisited on a regular basis to ensure that they don’t return to the terrible state in which they were some five or more years ago.
He expressed commitment and determination of the administration to fostering a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for the well-being of the citizenry through the application of best practices in the environmental management.
While enumerating steps taking to resuscitate the ministry, Bello said one of the first steps taken was the rejuvenation of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, which was now at the forefront of waste collection.
He added that the state was currently witnessing a cleaner environment as a result of the strategies put in place to stabilize waste collection activities on public highways such as Ikeja, Agege Alimosho, Iba, Otto Awori and Badagry expressway, among others.
The Commissioner further said government, through LAWMA, has been monitoring the activities of accredited private sector participants with a view to access their level of service delivery and address all challenges promptly adding that the PSP operators are being empowered and encouraged to acquire new equipment.
He reiterated that in order to promote extraction of resources and use of recycling to conserve natural resources government introduced the Blue Box Waste Sorting Programme.
