Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab has clarified that residents are free to move around during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise, stating that no law authorises restrictions on movement during the exercise.
He made the clarification on Saturday in a post on his verified X account while responding to concerns raised by a social media user over the alleged arrest of residents during the sanitation exercise.
According to Wahab, any arrest based solely on movement during the exercise is unlawful and does not reflect the policy of the Lagos State Government.
‘For clarity, there is no restriction on movement during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise. Consequently, arresting anyone on the basis of movement during the exercise is unlawful and does not represent the position or policy of the Lagos State Government,’ he wrote.
The commissioner explained that the monthly sanitation exercise was reintroduced to encourage cleaner surroundings and strengthen environmental hygiene across the state, not to impose a stay-at-home order on residents.
He noted that the initiative is backed by the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, but stressed that the legislation does not provide for restrictions on residents’ movement.
‘The monthly environmental sanitation exercise was reintroduced primarily to restore and strengthen the culture of environmental cleanliness across the state. The initiative is backed by the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.
‘However, the law does not provide for any restriction on movement during the exercise,’ Wahab stated.
He added that the government’s priority is to encourage residents to voluntarily participate in keeping their surroundings clean rather than relying on force or arrests.
‘Our focus is on encouraging Lagosians to embrace environmental sanitation as a civic responsibility and a shared commitment to maintaining a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Lagos, rather than relying on enforcement measures,’ he added.