The Lagos State Government has officially announced the return of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, scheduled to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, marking the end of a nine-year hiatus following its suspension in 2016.
The Lagos State Government on Saturday, March 14, 2026, declared that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will officially restart on April 25. Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, confirmed the development following a symbolic street-cleaning exercise led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat in the Mushin–Agege corridor. The initiative returns nine years after its November 2016 suspension, which followed a Court of Appeal ruling that nullified the compulsory restriction of movement. Under the new guidelines, the exercise will shift to a shorter window, taking place on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30 am to 8:30 am.
Addressing concerns over the previous legal hurdles, the state government clarified that the reintroduction would focus on voluntary participation and civic responsibility rather than the enforcement of a total lockdown. Governor Sanwo-Olu emphasized that while the exercise is a “defining moment” for the state’s public health, it would be conducted without infringing on citizens’ fundamental right to freedom of movement. “A clean city is not achieved by government alone. It is built every day by the actions of citizens, by what we do in our homes, in our markets, in our communities and on our streets,” the Governor said during the flag-off event.
The Commissioner urged all residents to take ownership of their immediate environment by clearing drainage channels and properly bagging waste for collection by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). “During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages, and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility,” Wahab stated. He further noted that the decision to bring back the exercise involved over a year of legal consultations to ensure the new framework aligns with constitutional requirements. The move is seen as a strategic response to the state’s mounting waste management challenges and the persistent risk of urban flooding.
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