LAGOS: Govt resuscitates sanitation competition among LGAs, LCDAs

•Sets up assessment committee, to commence work in May

TO ensure a cleaner, greater Lagos, the Sanwo-Olu administration has announced resuscitation of the environmental sanitation competition amongst all local government areas and local council development areas in the state.

In a statement yesterday, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, said the competition is being brought back to reawaken the consciousness of every resident with local governments serving as the pivot of the campaign.

Bello explained that since the programme suffered a setback in 2017 through a court judgment which halted the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, the people let down their guard, thus aggravating various environmental issues.

He stated that part of the benefit derivable from the exercise is bringing about healthy competition on sanitation and hygiene practices amongst communities, markets and LGAs/LCDAs.

Others are improvement in the environmental conditions of the state especially on highways, roads and streets, markets, schools and curbing illegal street trading.

Bello said the competition will take input of actors in the communities including local council chairmen, community leaders, traditional rulers, transport unions and market leaders.

To kick off the programme, an assessment committee which will start work in May has been constituted with membership drawn from the Environment Ministry and Local Government and Community Affairs and other relevant MDAs to inspect all public utilities.

The committee will also inspect the general aesthetics of the scheduled LGAs/LCDAs and the commitment of each to environmental management.

The Commissioner listed some of the criteria for the assessment of each LGAs/LCDAs to include culture of bagging of refuse, clean and flowing drains, LAWMA PSP patronage and vegetal control.

Others are markets cleaniness, landscaping and beautification of LGAs/LCDAs secretariat, control of illegal structures, shanties, black spots, illegal refuse dumps, encroachment on drainage setbacks, street trading, abandoned buildings, land and properties.

The assessment is expected to be rounded off in November with an award ceremony during which prizes will be presented to the winner and first runners-up.

Consolation prizes will also be given to the cleanest market, school, environmental sanitation friendly motor parks/garages, among others.