Lagos To Resume Monthly Sanitation Exercise From March

Lagos State is set to restart its monthly environmental sanitation exercise on the last Saturday of every month, beginning in March 2026.

Naija News reports that the move comes as the government urged residents to take personal responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, spoke during an inspection of ongoing regeneration and drainage projects on Lagos Island.

He said that the exercise, which normally runs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 because enforcing movement restrictions in the crowded city proved challenging.

Wahab said that growing waste piles, blocked drainage channels, and careless dumping made it necessary to bring back the monthly cleaning routine.

He added that the government had been working with stakeholders to ensure the restart is smooth and well-coordinated.

The commissioner also pointed out that poor civic discipline, rather than a lack of waste management resources, is a major cause of Lagos’ environmental problems.

He singled out markets along busy roads as frequent sites of illegal dumping despite having waste bins, and indicated that stricter enforcement would begin in critical areas.

Wahab said the decision to resume the sanitation exercise follows extensive discussions by the Lagos State Executive Council and legal advice from the Ministry of Justice.

Earlier legal issues involved movement restrictions, not the sanitation programme itself, and these have now been resolved.

The government insisted that monthly sanitation is part of global best practices for urban health and sustainable living, and Lagos must cultivate a lasting culture of cleanliness to benefit everyone.