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By Ngozi Nwoke
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has marked 30 years of environmental regulation in the state with a renewed commitment to cleaner air, reduced pollution and stronger collaboration with residents and businesses.
Speaking at the anniversary, the Permanent Secretary of LASEPA, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen, said the agency was focused on working in a symbiotic way with the public.
“We don’t want to disturb any business or residents. The populace are the ones we serve, so we must see that as a point of reference in anything that we do,” he said.
Tajudeen added that the agency would continue to improve based on feedback. He also paid tribute to past leaders.
“Getting to 30 years is a lot of work, and we want to thank those that have established this agency and the past general managers that have run this agency. We want to wish them well for sustaining it to date.
“We are thankful and look forward to more fulfilling and sustaining years to serve the people with all our heart, and make it more habitable for the people. Our advocacy on noise pollution is non-stop.”
The General Manager of LASEPA, Babatunde Ajayi, described the milestone as a defining moment for the agency.
“Celebrating 30 years is a significant milestone. 30 is that age where you define your path for the rest of your life. It is a very important milestone in terms of the extent of accomplishing your previous goals,” Ajayi said.
He highlighted key achievements, including the digitisation of operations and the expansion of enforcement across the state.
“We have significantly improved on our noise regulations and monitoring. We have digitised all of our work. Complaints can now be tracked on our portal. People can complain directly to us regardless of their location. We expanded our complaint operations to cover the length and breadth of Lagos.
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“On the global frontier, we’re leading the carbon story in Nigeria. We’re the only environmental laboratory that is government owned and functional in Nigeria. We are significantly covering so many pollution lines in Lagos, more than people will notice.”
Ajayi noted that enforcement had led to visible changes, with several facilities and religious houses complying or relocating due to infractions.
“A lot of facilities and religious houses moved out of Lagos because of our enforcement. Enforcement of the law has gone significantly well. There is still more ground to cover because Lagos is expanding and as Lagos expands, our enforcement gets stronger.”
The Director of the Amuwo Odofin Zonal Office, Mosaku Adetola Enitan, reflected on LASEPA’s impact at the grassroots.
“LASEPA is celebrating 30 years of environmental protection and sustainability for Lagos State. A lot of lessons have been learned and I know even the public can also tell about the impact of LASEPA,” she said.
She cited the agency’s role in tackling indiscriminate waste and noise pollution.
“There was a period where we had the issue of indiscriminate dumping of sachet water everywhere in Lagos State. LASEPA came into place to ensure that these sachets found their way back to where it will be recycling by turning them into raw material. If you look around, you won’t even find most of this sachet water, including the plastic bottle.
“Also, in terms of noise pollution, LASEPA has made sure that every pollutant is being checked and is controlled. Residents now know the reasons they don’t need to make any noise because it’s something that can affect the health of other people.”
Also speaking, the Director of Environmental Sustainability at LASEPA, Adedayo Adebayo, summed up the journey.
“It has been a productive, fruitful and impactful journey. This is 30 years of environmental regulations, institutional growth and pollution prevention in Lagos State.”
