Volunteers on Sunday flagged off a campaign to cleanup Somolu community in Lagos State, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The initiative is designed to sensitise residents of Nigeria’s dirty commercial capital on the importance of environmental hygiene, according to the organisers.
The campaign tagged “Cleanup Somolu’’ was facilitated by the Environmental Lagos Platform in partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority and the Somolu Local Government Council as well as the Environmental Health Officers of Nigeria.
The convener of the campaign, Mr. Alexander Omoridion, told NAN that the exercise was to educate residents on the need to have a clean and healthy environment.
”We use the exercise to sensitize residents on the need to show more interest on their environment, including roads, waste, water, housing and transportation issues.
”Our goal is to sensitise them on the need to clean their environment without being forced by government to do so.
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“Environmental hygiene should be a habit and part of our day-to-day life,’’ he stated, lamenting that drainages are blocked everywhere in Lagos, due to human activities.
Mr. Oluwarotimi Oluyede, Special Adviser on Environment to the Council Chairman, also told NAN that the environment should be a concern for all, to engender healthy living.
”What we always do is to ensure that we continue to educate and sensitise our people, to play their part in promoting a healthy environment.
”Our Local Government Chairman, Mr. Abdulhameed Salawu, is passionate about the environment and his wish is to sustain a cleaner, safer, secure and environmentally hygienic atmosphere for Somolu.”
Oluyede said the council was in full support of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s executive order on environmental sanitation and drainage cleaning.
”We have secured about 12 taskforce vehicles to curb indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
“We, however, appeal to the State Government to deploy more officers of the Environmental Corps along Ikorodu Road to curb refuse dumping.’’ (NAN)