Lagos urges residents to maintain flood-free hygienic environment
The Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Water resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab has called on Lagos residents to maintain a flood-free and hygienic environment.
Wahab disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday at the Citizens Led Accountability Mechanism (CLAIM) for mitigating climate change impact project community town hall meeting at Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The Town Hall Meeting was organised as part of the Citizens’ Led Accountability and Climate Change Mitigation Mechanism Impact (CLAIM) Project, which is being implemented by Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP) with support from Bread for the World.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders, government representatives, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups, women, and residents to discuss the growing impacts of climate change on local communities, strengthen citizen participation in governance, and collectively identify sustainable solutions for climate resilience and community development.
The Commissioner who was represented by Head, Research and Development, Water Resources department, Mrs Bolanle Magbagbeola appealed to residents to always clear drainage channels.
He said that the main focus was that everyone needs to know that it was a collective responsibility and it starts from me and you.
Speaking, the Chairman, Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Muibi Folawiyo said that the meeting was to enlighten people in the community.
Folawiyo said that it was also to enlighten all stakeholders on the collaborative programme within the local government about climate change, the effects and what they could do to demonstrate such actions in the future.
He said that the solution was for all to be in a clean and clear environment in which all of us are present.
He said that government would continue to be on top of cleaner environment and urged all residents to joined government in making the environment clean.
Contributing, the Executive Secretary, LACSOP, Mrs Dede Kadiri said that the meeting was to make citizens understand what the agency was doing.
Kadiri said that CLAIM project started since 2024 with focus on clean environment.
She said that CLAIM wanted to raise awareness on what was blocking the water ways and the drainage.
She said that the solution was not outside that the solution lies with us and they wanted to make sure that the next generation would take action.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees, LACSOP, Barr Ayo Adebusoye stated that waste was another source of wealth, adding that the climate change campaign has the youths as its primary centre of focus.
“We just need to use our intelligence, these wastes you are seeing is another source of wealth, opportunity, but we have to be intentional about it.
“The local government is actually constitutionally mandated to take care of the environment, also the citizens have roles to play, you begin to see that the decision we take by throwing a plastic bottle out of the windows of our cars flood the gutters which is affecting us all.
“So we have to begin to see how everything connects with our health system, our education, and this decision, that is what we are trying to do here.
“We are actually preparing our youths so that they can go out and train others” he said.
