The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who disclosed this, said the State Executive Council has also given its approval for the introduction of the monthly exercise.

He, however, said the sanitation which would commence in July, would be officially announced by the governor soon.

“Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the state executive council have approved the re-introduction of the monthly sanitation.

“The governor will announce it officially for the exercise to commence this month,” Wahab, who spoke in Yoruba language, said in a 21-second clip shared on the Lagos State Environmental Update page on X.

The government stopped the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state in 2016.

The government said the exercise, which used to be held for three hours on the last Saturday of every month with restrictions on movement, needed to go to pave the way for a much-needed reform.

However, the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation may not be unconnected to the recent flooding affecting some majour parts of Lagos due to incessant rain.

business and commercial activities were grounded on July 3, 2024, following a 10-hour downpour in many parts of Lagos and Ogun states.

The resulting flooding brought down a two-storey building in the Mushin area of Lagos, grounded vehicular movement on the roads and overwhelmed thousands of residents while pupils could not attend schools in parts of the states.

Though the Lagos State Government said the rain lasted for nine hours, in some parts of the state, it started at midnight and did not subside until noon, making it 12 hours.

Such places include Berger, Ikeja, Ogba and in some parts, the rain lasted for 10 hours.

A photo was shared on social media showing a man and a woman rolling a drum on their flooded street. The X user who shared the photo alleged that the accused persons threw dirt in a drum in the flood water.

Reacting to the post, Wahab vowed to ensure that action is taken against them.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on social media on Friday morning, October 14.

Wahab said the operation was carried out by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority and the Kick Against Indiscipline task force.

He wrote;‘’As i instructed, enforcement operatives from LAWMA and KAI in a joint operation in the early hours of today (Friday, October 13) sealed up the Mile 12 International Market and Owode Onirin market along Ikorodu Road for indiscriminate dumping and burning of refuse, filthy environment, blocked and littered drainages, menace of illegal and indiscriminate parking and abandonment of trucks on the major road, thereby impeding free flow of traffic.”

Tokunbo Wahab, Special Adviser on Education to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said in an interview on Channels Television that phased resumption is necessary to flatten the curve and gradually integrate the pupils back to the normal school process.

He said “Not all the pupils in the state will be allowed to resume at the same time. Resumption will be phased to the extent that on the 21st we will not open our primary schools yet. From next week, we will start a phased reopening of our tertiary institutions. On the 14^th we announced that tertiary institutions will reopen for the first time after six months of closure. Within the six months, the students were receiving lecturers online. We are going to start with final year students across our tertiary institutions. Then after their exams, those in their penultimate year can resume.”

Parents have been informed and are advised to cooperate with the state government.

A statement by Tokunbo Wahab, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, says the seven schools that will benefit from the initiative are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Lagos College of Health Technology and Lagos State College of Nursing and Midwifery.

The statement reads ”Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the virtual classes to ensure physical distancing among students and their lecturers. The move will also help in the maintenance of the State’s tertiary academic calendar despite the COVID-19 pandemic. All students should maximise the unique opportunity to keep themselves engaged while the lockdown arising from the pandemic lasts.”