5th March, 2015
By Rasak Musbau
In his inauguration speech, in 2007, Governor Babatunde Fashola reiterated his administration’s commitment to environmental renewal when he said, among others that: ‘I intend to create a good and comfortable environment for all inhabitants in Lagos state. My mission is to bring back as much greenery as possible to Lagos….’ Unarguably, one of the major pre-occupations of the Fashola administration in Lagos state, in the last eight years, is environmental regeneration. The government is challenged to invest heavily in the sector as a littoral state which is greatly exposed to environmental abuse due to intense economic and social activities. From landscape design and management, promotion of cleaner cities through greening and solid waste management, flood abatement, enforcement of pollution control for industries among others, except one is a blind bat, what has been done so far to redeem the environment and enhance its value are visible for all to see.
The efforts of the government can best be assessed and appreciated if we put into perspective what the state looked like prior to 1999 and transformation that has taken place till date. We could all recall that before now, the state was full of mountain of refuse everywhere. Large numbers of people defecate on the roadside; throw shit around the streets and markets with impunity. Residential areas and major highways were turned into dumpsites to the extent that mischievous critics derisively turn the slogan of the state to ‘centre of aquatics’ squalor’. One other critical point that needs to be understood before one could objectively appraise how well the government has fulfilled the promise of raising the city’s standard is that close to 10,000 metric tons of refuse is being done daily in Lagos, more than what Ghana as a country is generating.
Going to work with vigor coupled with a resolute implementation of its agenda on the environment, the BRF government has turned the above stated challenges into opportunity for job and wealth creation. The scourge of environmental malaise was arrested by strengthening and creating agencies to manage the process of waste collection, transportation and disposal in the state. Not only were agencies established for enforcing sanitation, integrated mass enlightenment and social mobilization on maintenance of sanitary environment became on-going activity in state.
Introduction of Dino bins in over 2000 locations, contracting Highway managers for cleaning of roads, establishment by law of the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency (LASPARK) to intensify green areas, introduction and regulation of PSP operation are parts of the measures the state has used to achieve better environmental cleanliness. BRF administration also rehabilitated dump sites at Olushosun, Solous and Abule Egba with establishment of additional mechanized land fill sites in Badagry, Mowe and Ikorodu. Additional transfer loading stations were constructed in addition to provision of over 200 new refuse compactor trucks. Every last Saturday of the month is made a Sanitation Day, when roads, public buildings and shops stay closed until noon, to allow Lagosians to clean and tidy their neighborhoods. To further improve the environment of markets across the state, weekly market sanitation day was also introduced and has become part of Lagos State culture.
One project that manifests concrete improvement on the Lagos environment is the greening and beautification of open spaces, decrepit loops, verges and medians across the state. Till date, over 4.3 million trees had been planted. The state also has over 170 parks and gardens across the state. No wonder the Governor has won the trust, respect and confidence of enlightened and appreciative citizens for redeeming the promise to bring back as much greenery as possible to Lagos. One, the beautification has generated over 75, 168 jobs for previously idle youths, horticulturists, pruners, gardeners, welders, tanker drivers, security personnel, down to water boy, all of who help to keep the trees alive. Second, it has improved the aesthetic appeal and recreational value of the environment. Third, the greening project is done to mitigate the effects of global warming through carbon dioxide emission control. Last but not the least; it is done in line with the promise of creating a good and comfortable environment for all inhabitants in Lagos state.
The state government was also able to bring corporate organizations and individuals into the project as partners. Private individuals were also encouraged to plant trees around their houses while it is now unlawful to fell trees in Lagos without written approval from the Ministry of the Environment.
One can go on listing many other achievements in the area of flood control with creation of such agencies like Emergency Abatement Gang (EFAG), Drain duct, Kick against Indiscipline (KAI) and the concerted effort on climate change control through which major stakeholders are being carried along by the state government. If one goes out now across Lagos, one will see men of the Drain Ducks, the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang, the ministry of works, the ministry of the environment, and local governments, clearing the drains. And indisputably, the government capacity to deal with environmental problems is improving by the day.
Enforcement of environmental offences like removal of illegal structures and noise pollution is another area where the government’s promise of a good and comfortable environment for all inhabitants in Lagos state has been kept. Noise pollution has been abated drastically compare to how it used to be in the past. In compliance with the Lagos State law and regular sensitization carried out by LASEPA some of the churches and mosques in the state are now using inbuilt speakers. The more cheering facts about change from degradation to good environment achieve by Babatunde Fashola government is that it is a sustainable effort built on institution and law and not only on strong will of the Governor.
It is, however, important that Lagosians are on same page with the state government in preserving the environment. What is required to sustain on-going efforts at regenerating the Lagos environment is for all stakeholders unite and say no to those attitudes that once made cynics to tag Lagos a jungle city.
•MUSBAU is of features unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy