By John Ogunsemore
The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said plastic pollution had become an ecological and public health emergency in the state until Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stepped in.
Wahab said this in a statement commemorating World Environment Day themed ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’ on Thursday.
The commissioner said available data indicated that the state was in trouble if urgent action was not taken to frontally tackle the menace of plastic waste.
He said, “This year’s World Environment Day theme, Ending Plastic Pollution, resonates powerfully with the urgent environmental journey Lagos State has embarked on. It is not just a global call to action; it is a validation of the decisive steps we have already taken and a timely reminder that we must continue undeterred.
“In Lagos, we are not just responding to the threat of plastic pollution — we are tackling it head-on with data, strategy, and unwavering political will.”
Wahab added, “At the heart of this campaign lies a sobering truth: Lagos, a bustling megacity of over 22 million people, had become overwhelmed by plastic waste.
“Streets, canals, drains, and even our lagoons bore the weight of decades of indiscriminate waste disposals.
“Water sachets, disposable food packs, and carrier bags turned waterways into refuse corridors. It was a crisis hiding in plain sight, until the Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the office I have been charged to lead decided to confront it with realistic approach, not emotion or sentiment.
“That evidence came in 2023 through a groundbreaking partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat.
“The collaboration produced the first comprehensive waste audit in Lagos State, which revealed an alarming statistic: 34 kilograms of plastic waste per person per year was leaking into the city’s water systems, the equivalent of every Lagosian throwing 10 plastic bottles into our waterways every single day.
“This was no longer just an eyesore; it was an ecological and public health emergency.”
Armed with this data, he said, the Sanwo-Olu administration moved from rhetoric to action.
Wahab noted that in early 2024, the state banned the use and distribution of all single-use food containers made from polystyrene foam, also known as Styrofoam — a common pollutant found choking drains and canals.
He added that the ban was just the beginning as the state also announced that a full-scale enforcement of the broader ban on single-use plastics would commence on July 1, 2025, following an 18-month moratorium to allow producers, retailers, and consumers to transition.
The commissioner said, “It was data that convinced us to stand up with our political will, this is not witch-hunting, it is about a cleaner, better and liveable Lagos, it is about all of us.
“So on this World Environment Day, Lagos reaffirms its commitment to ending plastic pollution; not in words, but in action.
“Together, we are building a city where sustainability is not just a policy goal, but a way of life.”