The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to enforce sanitation laws with the reinvigoration of the State Environmental Enforcement Agency of the Ministry, known as KAI, which has been in operation for a while to complement the functions of other Agencies in the Environment sector by ensuring strict adherence to sanitation laws by all residents..
Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, Honourable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, disclosed this today in his address delivered at the Year 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa, Secretariat, Ikeja, to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in Lagos State.
In his words, “Following the enforcement of the use of pedestrian bridges, 6,789 persons were arrested for failure to use pedestrian bridges; The Agency also served 192 Environmental Abatement Notices, arrested 150 people for Open Defecation on the pedestrian bridges who had impeded cleaning up of the bridges”.
He added that a total of 3786 Street Traders, Environmental polluters and cart pushers were arrested and prosecuted, stressing that the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) team, in collaboration with the State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, also effected the clearing of rail tracks as well as demolition of shanties under the Apongbon Bridge, Lekki, Victoria Island, Agege, Obalende and Lagos Badagry Expressway.
He stressed that as a result of the partnership with various organisations in waste conversion, the state recorded fewer incidences of flash floods across the metropolis because the drains now effectively contain stormwater run-offs instead of being filled with waste, sand and silt.
The Commissioner mentioned that in the last year government had awarded over 300km of secondary collector drains and 70km of primary channels towards the concrete lining of drainage channels which are at various levels of completion while some are newly awarded projects, stressing that the constructions will enhance the effectiveness of the channels as well as reduce the rate of maintenance.
He added that from the years 2023-2024, a total of 22.9 km of Collector drains and 12.43 km of Primary channel areas are in various levels of completion within the State while an additional 36.44 km of collector drains are going through the procurement process for the award in the year 2025.
He revealed that between the years 2023-2025, a cumulative total of 666,740.50 Kilometers of secondary collectors which means 397 Secondary Collectors across the state were Maintained/Cleaned, while the removal of contraventions within the drainage Right-of-Way alignment restored 12 Primary Channels, 84 Secondary Collectors with a total length of 32.5 km and 96 km respectively.
Wahab said that the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG), in the year 2024, cleaned up a total of 181 collectors with a total length of 242,846.50, consisting of various dark spots and drainage channels, while 72 collectors with a length of 166,846.50 have been cleaned so far in the year 2025.
“Government in 2024 commenced the de-flooding of drainage channels running between schools across the state; a total of 18 channels were de-flooded around Agege, Alimosho, Surulere, Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, while another seven channels have been de-flooded for the year 2025; all these channels contribute to the free flow of stormwater,” he said.
He further disclosed that the State Government has awarded contracts to de-flood the entire Lagos Island comprising Oroyinyin, Idumagbo, Binuyo, Aroloya Epe, and Ojo-giwa, amongst others. The project has commenced and will totally eliminate flooding issues on Lagos Island.
“To eliminate the problem of the Tidal effect across the state, the present administration has constructed a state-of-the-art pumping station, regarded as the first of its kind in Africa, at Ilubirin. The pumping station is designed to pump discharge stormwater from Lagos Island into the Lagoon via an elevated channel after the completion of the regeneration Project”, he said.
Wahab said the Ministry has also embarked on the all-year-round maintenance of the River Gauging Stations Located at Majidun-Awori, Ikorodu; Falomo, Ikoyi and Kara Bridge, Kara, for daily real-time data gathering as well as analysis to enhance the flood alert system of the State.
Similarly, he added that the government has also commenced an all-year-round maintenance of the Automatic Weather Stations at Agidingbi Grammar School, Ikeja, Government Senior Model College, Owutu, Ikorodu, and Government Senior College, Waziri Ibrahim, Victoria Island, for daily real-time data gathering and analysis to enhance the flood prediction capacity of the State.
The Commissioner said the State Government is building a climate-resilient Lagos by investing in climate resilience measures such as urban greening programmes, enhancing air quality and reducing urban heat, as well as an expansion of air quality monitoring systems to track pollution levels.
He submitted that as part of measures to ensure a greener and healthier Lagos, more parks were created and maintained, as well as the planting of more trees to promote recreation while fighting the negative effects of climate change. He stressed that the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency recently launched a “Trees for Lagos campaign” to accelerate tree planting efforts through cluster and creation of urban forest gardens, with the target of planting an additional 50,000 trees in two years to join the stock of trees already planted.
He said the Government, through the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), has revived the 70 MGD Adiyan II, which will provide 70 million gallons of safe drinking water daily, benefiting over five million Lagosians and significantly improving access to clean water across the state.
Informing that the project is set for completion by 2027, Wahab also revealed that LWC has successfully re-commissioned the 2 MGD Mosan Okunola to restore water supply to the Baruwa-Abesan community. This singular act ended 25 years of water scarcity and significantly improved residents’ quality of life, while the rehabilitation of the Isashi waterworks was concluded in 2024.
KA/TMS/KO
