Lagos Seeks Transport Unions’ Backing for Cleaner Environment

The Lagos State Government has secured the cooperation of major transport unions in its bid to enforce the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise across the state.

At a meeting convened by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, union leaders agreed that no commercial vehicle would operate between 6:30am and 8:30am on the last Saturday of every month, dedicating the period to cleaning their homes and surroundings.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the collaboration was essential given that over 70 per cent of Lagos residents depend on informal transport operators for their daily commute.

“If we all agree that we want a cleaner Lagos, then we must cooperate to ensure the success of this exercise,” Wahab said.

He noted that a similar sanitation exercise already takes place at markets across the state every Thursday between 7am and 10am, and urged residents to adopt the same culture at home. He also advised union leaders to sensitise commuters on the dangers of indiscriminate waste disposal on roads, medians, drainages, and canals.

Speaking on behalf of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), State Secretary Usman Teslim assured the government of full compliance, adding that task forces would be established across union units to enforce the sanitation hours.

Similarly, the Lagos State Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Shamsudeen Ajala, represented by Deputy State Secretary Kaojue Abolaji, said the association would mobilise its members and affiliates to ensure that vehicles only begin operations after 8:30am on sanitation days.

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