LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin *State holds maiden community sanitation day
By Oyebola Owolabi
The Lagos State government has urged residents to keep their environment clean by imbibing good environmental sanitation and hygiene practices.
This, it said, is necessary to prevent the occurrence and spread of diseases such as cholera.
Permanent Secretary (Office of Environmental Services) Dr. Gaji Tajudeen spoke at Ojodu Local Government Development Area, during the maiden National Environmental Sanitation Day (NESD) and second quarterly Community Sanitation Clean-Up Exercise organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
Gaji, represented by the Director of Sanitation Services, Dr. Hassan Sanuth, explained that the Federal Ministry of Environment, with approval of the National Council on Environment (NCE), in conjunction with states and all local governments has agreed on June 28 as the National Environmental Sanitation Day.
Highlighting the theme for the 2024 celebration, ‘Environmental Sanitation in the Era of Climate Change’, Gaji stressed that the day is to create awareness among the people on the importance of sanitation practices as a veritable means of controlling and preventing communicable diseases.
He noted that the country currently faces the challenges of a cholera outbreak, saying: “As we all know, cholera is spread through contaminated water or food that are products of unhygienic and poor sanitation practices, such as open defecation, poor waste management, and poor personal hygiene, among others.
“Before the Cholera outbreak, Lagos State had scaled-up its sanitation monitoring and awareness in public spaces, focusing on motor parks and garages, markets, public schools, abattoirs, and slaughter houses, to ensure good sustainable sanitation practices.”
Gaji therefore advised all residents to imbibe the culture of regular hand washing before eating and ensure they cook their food thoroughly before consumption.
He also emphasised that residents must ensure proper waste disposal through the patronage of LAWMA accredited PSP operators and regular cleaning of the tertiary drains for a sustainable environment.
The Permanent Secretary said residents should cut overgrown vegetation, use the toilets for defecation and urination, and ensure good sanitation that will support the economic growth and wellbeing of all.
He thanked the Ojodu LCDA, Community Development Committee, Community Development Association, Orile-Aguda community, state volunteer group and Coalition of Lagos Environmental Groups (COLEG) for their support to ensure cleanliness of the environment.
Chairman of Ojodu council Segun Odumbaku admonished the residents to always keep their environment safe and clean, especially at this time of Cholera epidemic.
