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The Lagos State Government has announced plans to establish a Waste Management Fund.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed through a press statement released by the Ministry of Information and Strategy that the state government has decided to set up a dedicated fund for waste management, which will address the issue of improper disposal of pure water sachets.
The statement revealed further that, while the ban on styrofoam food Containers continues across the state, single-use plastics will also become a thing of the past. This is as the 12-month moratorium granted by the Government for the use of single-use plastic will lapse in January 2025.
The Environment and Water Resource Commissioner made these clarifications while featuring on an X Space programme: “Ask Lagos Live” with the topic: “Lagos and the battle for a Clean, Sustainable and Resilient Environment,” where he also clarified that the quest to enforce all environmental laws in Lagos is not based on wickedness or high-handedness, but an inescapable effort towards common good.
Appealing to residents not to see enforcement actions from the angle of wickedness but see it as an essential part of good governance, Wahab pledged the readiness of the present administration to continually enforce the state environmental laws on noise pollution, street partying, and street trading among others to the benefit of the greater majority of residents.
Also as revealed in the statement, the closure of some churches and mosques for violating environmental laws was part of efforts to sensitise the general public on the need for a sustainable environment and also because such religious houses cannot continue to inconvenience residents with their religious activities.
He added that the state, through its possession of resilient infrastructure, managed its liquid waste and 13,000 tons of municipal solid waste generated on a daily basis.
He said Lagos with its unique topography and smallest landmass houses about 10% of the country’s population and that it experiences the influx of people daily thus putting pressure on its infrastructure including that of the environment.
Noting that the environment is the master of man and that if everyone chooses to treat the environment very well, it will be better for everyone and generations to come.
He said waste management is an issue that the state government is tackling headlong with LAWMA, adding that the introduction of PSP operators was a game changer but that the operation has been held down by the refusal of the average residents to pay for the waste he or she generates.
He added that the state government in the last year has initiated different MoUs with different reputable companies in the conversion of waste to wealth, while efforts are on stream to decommission the major landfill sites in the state.
Wahab said in the past few years the government has been putting in place resilient infrastructure to help discharge the storm water and reduce the issues of flash flooding across the state.
He stated that the Ministry is also ramping up advocacy, awareness, and enforcement towards finding a lasting solution to the menace of open defecation, and this includes setting up enforcement gangs and applying non-custodial sentences on offenders, especially those who show remorse.
