30th May, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government has assured residents of the state of its readiness to ensure a cleaner environment that would create jobs for the unemployed youths.
Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare made this known during an Interactive meeting organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for the Community Development Committees (CDCs), Community Development Associations (CDAs) and other stakeholders across the State held at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria last Thursday.
According to Dr. Adejare, “The present administration is ensuring security of lives and properties and also determined to ensure that we have a cleaner environment.”
Adejare, who was represented by the Director, Environmental Services, Dr. Iyabo Phillips said the new policy of the present administration would lead to creation of more jobs for the people.
The commissioner said that it was clear that the present structure of Waste Management was insufficient to guarantee a clean society benefiting of a Cosmopolitan Mega-City like Lagos State, adding that the sole aim of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative was to ensure a cleaner and healthier Lagos.
Also speaking on the initiative, the General Manager, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Segun Adeniji said Lagos State being a Mega-City State was one of the reason for ensuring a cleaner environment.
He said: “We have concessioned part of our environmental management to a foreign consortium whose job will be to keep the residential areas clean 24/7 and properly manage our waste disposal system to eliminate the environmental challenges.”
Earlier, the Director, Operations, Visionscape, Mr. Tarak Sahay, a Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, which partnered with the State Government on the Cleaner Lagos Initiative said the main focus was an integrated waste management system that maximized the unique opportunities of generating sustainable and renewable energy resources, while making a positive impact that would be beneficial to the environment and the entire communities.
He stated further that the organization would spearhead a number of flagship projects in various communities which were already carefully integrated into waste management activities, therefore making the cities more habitable and environmental-friendly destination.
He added that the operational trucks that would be used for the scheme were 600 trucks while they would start off with 350 trucks, adding that waste bins would also be supplied to all nooks and crannies of the State for easy collection of the refuse.
Sahay, however, appealed to all the members of the CDAs to support this initiative by ensuring that the state had a cleaner and healthier environment.
Senior Special Assistant on Community Affairs, Alhaji Tajudeen Quadri, in his remarks, urged everyone to support government in its quest to address the environmental challenges in the State, describing the Cleaner Lagos Initiative as a good policy aimed at ensuring public health safety.
He, however, commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the initiative and advised all critical stakeholders to cooperate with government to make the initiative a huge success, saying that doing so would eventually be in the collective interest of all.
“For the State Government to have come up with this idea, I think it is a good development because apart from having a cleaner and healthier environment, this initiative will also facilitate employment for thousands of people and I want to say a big kudos to the State Governor, Mr Ambode,” he stated.
Speaking, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corp, Adegboyega Bajulaiye called on all the members of the CDAs to cooperate with all Neighbourhood Safety Corp in their respective environment so as to ensure a safe and secured State.