Lagos bets on councils to drive monthly sanitation, unveils reward for top-performers

The Lagos State Government will introduce a reward system for local governments that excel in the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, as part of efforts to boost compliance and improve waste management across the state.

Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with chairmen of the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), where modalities for the sanitation programme were discussed.

Recall that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, flagged off the re-introduction of monthly environmental sanitation in Mushin, ten years after the exercise was halted, urging residents to take responsibility for keeping their environment clean. The monthly sanitation exercise will officially kick off across the state on April 25, 2026.

Wahab said the state plans to institute “substantial” monthly rewards for best-performing councils, aimed at encouraging competition and accountability among local authorities.

Read also: Sanwo-Olu revives monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos 

“For each month, we want to have a substantial… reward going out to each local government,” he said. “It’s to make it like a competition amongst brothers.”

He added that the recognition would not be symbolic but tied to measurable performance, with outcomes publicised to sustain momentum.

The sanitation exercise is scheduled to be held on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., with the government opting for voluntary compliance rather than enforcing movement restrictions.

“We don’t want to shut down the economy… that balance is getting our people to give us two hours of their time,” Wahab said.

The commissioner noted that Lagos generates between 13,000 and 14,000 tonnes of waste daily, describing the volume as a growing environmental challenge that requires coordinated action.

“Municipal solid waste… is becoming a major challenge with respect to how we dispose it,” he said.

To drive implementation, Wahab said the state would rely on local government structures, as well as Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs), to mobilise residents at the grassroots.

He also disclosed plans to engage transport unions and other stakeholders to ensure compliance, alongside a statewide sensitisation campaign.

Read also: Anambra extends deadline for individual tax returns, warns against non-compliance

However, the local government chairmen called for stronger collaboration with the state government to ensure effective implementation of the new sanitation policy, citing operational bottlenecks, inadequate resources and overlapping enforcement structures.

The council chairmen led by Sesan Olowa, chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and head of the council chairmen, raised concerns over what they described as poor communication and unilateral actions by state-backed task forces operating within their jurisdictions.

Waste management challenges also featured prominently, with council leaders pointing to insufficient equipment and delayed response from waste agencies.

“My local government has a compactor of its own, but it’s not sufficient… most times when you call them, they’ll tell you they’re still at the dumpsites for four days,” a chairman said.

On enforcement, participants highlighted constraints in prosecuting environmental offenders, noting that local governments no longer have direct authority to handle such cases.

“We have to wait… call task force to come down… this is giving us a lot of challenges,” another council boss said, recounting how suspects arrested for illegal dumping had to be released due to lack of detention facilities and delayed response from enforcement teams.

In response, the commissioner acknowledged the challenges and urged local governments to formalise requests and operational structures.

On waste evacuation, the state government said it is open to integrating local government assets into the broader system, particularly where Private Sector Participants (PSPs) are overstretched.