Sallah: Agency calls for environmental sustainability in Lagos State  

The Lagos Waste Management Authority LAWMA, has called on residents to intentionally work towards ensuring cleaner and livable environment, during and after the forthcoming Eid-el-Fitr celebration. The agency also restated its determined goals to consolidate on its ongoing efforts to rid the state of filth.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, made the call in his office at Ijora, Lagos, on Monday, adding that the Authority’s sanitation workers and waste managers, had been mandated to work relentlessly across the metropolis, to ensure a filth-free Fitr celebration.

“In anticipation of an increase in waste generation during and after the celebration, we have intensified our operations, deploying our personnel at strategic points in the state, to clean the roads, highways, and markets, as well as facilitating clearance of black spots defacing the environment.”

“We know that during major festivities like this, more waste will be generated by residents and we are fully prepared to cart away the waste with promptitude”, he said

Odumboni also stressed that Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators had been tasked on providing satisfactory waste management services to the generality of residents, by ensuring prompt evacuation of waste, irrespective of assigned days, adding that LAWMA would provide backup services, to close any noticeable service gaps.

According to him “We are totally committed to making sure that Lagosians have a wonderful Sallah celebration. We are also working with the Ministry of the Environment, our supervisory ministry, and other stakeholders, to help us achieve our objectives,” he stated.

Wishing Lagosians a happy Sallah celebration, the LAWMA boss called on residents to shun indiscriminate dumping of waste and embrace the culture of sorting and bagging of waste, especially animal waste, to avoid pollution of the environment, and to facilitate easy evacuation.“Improper waste disposal at unauthorised locations such as drains, road medians and canals, is a major challenge we are tackling, and we won’t rest on our oars until we realise our aim. So we are appealing to our people to bag their wastes and containerise them near their houses, for easy evacuation by assigned PSP operators”, he said.

While describing the LAWMA’s workforce as heroes, for their diligence in keeping Lagos environment clean, he wished them happy Workers’ Day, and admonished residents to call the Authority for complaints and inquiries.

Dominica Nwabufo