Cholera: Sanwo-Olu talks tough on environmental nuisances

Lagos State Governor, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday described the level of environmental sanitation in the state despite government’s interventions as “unacceptable,” vowing that full weight of the law would henceforth be meted on offenders.

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had reported that of the 113 cases of cholera in the country, Lagos accounted for 104 followed by Ogun State with seven cases and Katsina state one.

Governor Sanwo-Olu gave the vow during the flag-off of the environmental sanitation exercise campaign and the annual tree planting events, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, which held at Campus Square, and Lagos House, Marina, Lagos Island, respectively.

This was just the governor directed relevant authorities, stakeholders, and residents to ensure planting of trees with 20,000 targets in the next one year, as part of measures to mitigate the Climate Change effects currently ravaging the world with attendant consequences.

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Speaking to Lagos Island residents, Sanwo-Olu expressed dismay at the destruction of government properties meant to prevent flood and environmental issues, warning that those caught would face severe consequences, just as he tasked the Ministries of Environment and Works to set up teams to tackle the issue.

The governor in particular condemned the removal of manholes and dumping of refuse into drainage systems, causing flooding and environmental hazards, declaring that such attitude was completely unacceptable and a shame on those that were doing it.

“Manholes installed at strategic locations have been removed and we see refuse being dumped on these drainages and a whole lot of them have been blocked. This is completely unacceptable, and it is a shame on those that are doing it. They do not deserve to be amongst us.

“To destroy not only government properties, manholes that will preserve and protect your environment from flood and environmental issues, what could be the commercial benefit that you’d waste and destroy such investments?

“So the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Works and Infrastructures are going to be setting up gangs and if by whatever means you are caught, there are huge consequences to it,” the governor vowed.

Harping on the environmental sensitisation exercise, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the state government was planning to bring it  back and ensure improvement of “the physical cleanliness in our environment, and the Centre of Excellence that we pride ourselves as its residents.”

“We want to use this medium to start advocacy and conversation around how to bring back environmental sanitation and ensure that we improve the physical cleanliness in our environment, and the Centre of Excellence that we pride ourselves as its residents,” he said.

The governor argued that it was necessary to do everything humanly possible to mitigate the effect of Climate Change, urging residents of the area to take up the “collective and individual responsibilities at ensuring that we can make a better physical use of our environment.”