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By Adekunle Akinmosa
The recent decision by the Lagos State Government to resume the monthly environmental sanitation exercise from April 25, 2026, is welcome. According to reports, the exercise, which will now be held on the last Saturday of every month within 6:30am and 8:30am, marks the revival of a programme that had been suspended for nearly a decade due to logistical and legal challenges around movement restriction.
Officially flagging off the exercise at the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on Saturday, March 14, 2026, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, decried the level of filth in some parts of the state. The governor who was accompanied by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, said the restoration of the monthly sanitation was to encourage voluntary civic participation in achieving a cleaner Lagos.
“This monthly exercise used to be a national pride,” he said.
“This flag-off is a defining moment for us. We decided to choose this corridor because of the amount of filth here. A clean city is built by the people who live in it.”
There is something quietly powerful about the idea that, on the last Saturday of every month, a city as vast and chaotic as Lagos can pause, even briefly, to clean itself. Indeed, for many Lagosians, especially those who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, environmental sanitation was not merely a government directive but a ritual of collective responsibility. Streets fell silent on designated mornings as residents swept, cleared drains, and desilted gutters. That culture, while sometimes enforced with heavy-handed tactics such as restrictions of movement and arrests for contravening, produced a sense of order that is difficult to ignore in retrospect.
But as Lagos expanded into a sprawling megacity of over 20 million people, the former model began to show its limits. Legal concerns about restricting movement, the rise of informal settlements, and the scale of waste generation made the once-monthly ritual increasingly difficult to sustain. The suspension of the exercise in 2016 was therefore an acknowledgment that Lagos had outgrown a one-size-fits-all approach to sanitation.
In the years since, the state has wrestled with the consequences of that suspension. Rapid urbanisation, population growth, and changing consumption patterns have placed enormous pressure on waste management systems. The state which generates 13,000 tonnes of waste daily had to become creative with waste management, ranging from relocating previous dumpsites to placing bans on single-use plastics which was identified as a notorious clog of drains. And while agencies such as the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) have continued to play a central role in managing refuse across the state, residents have a huge role to play. In fact, the most efficient institutional frameworks cannot fully compensate for the absence of an ingrained culture of personal and community responsibility. This is where the current move by the Sanwo-Olu administration deserves commendation.
By reintroducing the monthly sanitation exercise, the government is not only reviving an old policy but attempting to bridge the gap between institutional capacity and civic behaviour. Some critics argue that given the tax the government collects, waste management should be the sole responsibility of the government. But a cleaner environment would only be achieved with the active participation of citizens who see themselves as stakeholders. After all, Lagos is for everyone.
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It must be said that the timing of this decision is particularly significant. Lagos today faces a convergence of environmental challenges, from flooding caused by clogged drainage systems to the proliferation of illegal dumping sites in both formal and informal communities. Climate change has only heightened these risks, with more intense rainfall events exposing the vulnerabilities of existing infrastructure. In this context, the resumption of environmental sanitation is both a preventive and corrective measure, aimed at reducing the burden on drainage systems while fostering a culture of regular maintenance.
Critics may argue that the reintroduction of monthly sanitation is just an attempt to resurrect a past that no longer fits present realities. But such a view misses the goal of the current initiative. Unlike in the past, when enforcement often relied on blanket movement restrictions, the new framework would not place any restriction on movement. Rather, the policy is poised to place greater emphasis on voluntary compliance and public awareness. Residents are encouraged to take ownership of their immediate environment, instead of merely responding to the presence of enforcement agencies.
This shift in approach reflects a broader evolution in governance under the Sanwo-Olu administration. The state government has increasingly adopted a combination of infrastructure development, public engagement, and behavioural change strategies. From investments in waste collection fleets to the promotion of recycling and the rehabilitation of drainage channels, the administration has demonstrated a multi-layered approach to environmental management. The reintroduction of monthly sanitation can therefore be seen as a complementary measure, designed to reinforce these ongoing efforts.
Historically, Lagos has always been a city of paradoxes. There is immense wealth alongside grinding poverty and cutting-edge development coexisting with infrastructural deficits. While upscale neighbourhoods may boast relatively efficient waste collection systems, many low-income areas struggle with waste disposal. In such a context, a programme like monthly sanitation has the potential to act as an equaliser, creating a shared moment of responsibility that cuts across social and economic divides.
There is also an important psychological dimension to consider. Public rituals, even those as mundane as sweeping streets, play a crucial role in shaping collective identity. They remind citizens that they are part of a larger community, bound by shared obligations and mutual interests. Of course, the success of this initiative will depend on more than good intentions. Effective communication, consistent enforcement, and sustained public engagement will be critical. The government must ensure that residents understand not only the “what” but also the “why” of the exercise. It must also guard against the excesses that characterised some past enforcement efforts, where the line between discipline and harassment was sometimes blurred.
At the same time, citizens must rise to the occasion. It would be a mistake to view the resumption of environmental sanitation as just another government directive to be observed or ignored at will. The truth is that the cleanliness of Lagos is ultimately a reflection of the habits and attitudes of its residents. No amount of government intervention can substitute for the daily choices that individuals make about waste disposal, drainage maintenance, and public hygiene.
Ultimately, the resumption of monthly environmental sanitation is not a silver bullet. It will not, on its own, solve the complex environmental problems facing Lagos. But it is a step in the right direction, a reaffirmation of the principle that a clean city is a shared responsibility. And in taking that step, the Sanwo-Olu administration has shown a willingness to learn from the past while confronting the realities of the present.
The simple act of sweeping with a broom, clearing a gutter, and urging residents to take pride in their surroundings can be satisfying. In a time when governance is often judged by grand projects, it is refreshing that Lagos is set to implement a simple, even old-fashioned idea to tackle sanitation problems. But, such simplicity can be transformative.
