By DAILY REVIEW ONLINE
The renewed attempt by the Lagos State Government to reintroduce the monthly environmental sanitation exercise has reopened an important debate about public health, governance, and citizens’ rights in Nigeria’s most populous city.
In a post shared on X, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will resume effective Saturday, 25th April 2026, holding on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30AM to 8:30 AM.
For decades, the exercise formed part of Lagos’ environmental culture, compelling residents to clean their surroundings on the last Saturday of every month. Its suspension in 2016 therefore marked the end of an era.
Today, as authorities consider bringing it back, the question is not simply whether the policy should return, but whether the issues that led to its cancellation have been properly addressed.
The monthly sanitation exercise was halted primarily because of legal challenges. On March 16, 2015, the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos, presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris, ruled that the restriction of movement imposed during sanitation hours was unlawful because it violated citizens’ constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement under the 1999 Constitution. The case was initiated by human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who challenged the legality of the policy after being arrested during sanitation hours.
The matter did not end there. On November 8, 2016, the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, in a judgment delivered by Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu, affirmed the earlier ruling and declared that restricting residents’ movement between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month had no legal backing. The court held that the directive violated the constitutional right to freedom of movement and could not be justified without a clear enabling law. Following this judgment, the Lagos State Government formally scrapped the exercise later in November 2016.
These legal deficiencies remain central to the debate about its revival. Attempting to restore the sanitation exercise without resolving the constitutional concerns could expose the state to fresh legal disputes. Policies that affect fundamental rights must be anchored in clear legislative authority rather than administrative directives.
Beyond the legal concerns, the nature of Lagos itself has changed significantly. The city has grown into a massive commercial hub with millions of residents and a fast-moving economy that rarely pauses. Restricting movement, even for a few hours, could disrupt business activities, especially for small traders, transport operators, and informal workers whose livelihoods depend on daily income. Any sanitation policy must therefore reflect the realities of a modern megacity.
Another unresolved issue lies in enforcement. In the past, the sanitation exercise often led to complaints of harassment, arbitrary arrests, and excessive use of power by enforcement officials. While the intention was to ensure compliance, the manner of enforcement sometimes created resentment rather than cooperation among residents. Reintroducing the exercise without addressing these past abuses may simply repeat old mistakes.
More importantly, the environmental challenges facing Lagos go far beyond what a once-a-month cleanup can solve. The city struggles with mounting waste, blocked drainage systems, flooding during heavy rains, and inadequate waste disposal infrastructure. These problems require long-term solutions involving efficient waste management systems, recycling initiatives, proper urban planning, and sustained public education.
A monthly sanitation exercise may help revive environmental awareness among residents, but it cannot replace the need for modern waste management strategies. Clean cities are not built on occasional rituals; they are built on systems that function every day.
If Lagos is determined to reintroduce the exercise, it must do so with careful planning and legal clarity. First, there should be a clear legislative framework defining how the sanitation programme will operate and what rights citizens retain. This would address the constitutional issues raised by the courts.
Second, the government should consider encouraging voluntary participation rather than imposing rigid movement restrictions. Community-driven sanitation activities led by neighborhood associations, markets, and local groups may prove more effective than compulsory directives.
Third, authorities must strengthen waste collection, recycling, and drainage maintenance across the city. Without these systems functioning effectively, sanitation exercises will only provide temporary relief.
We believe that sustained public education is essential. Environmental cleanliness must become a daily habit rather than a once-a-month obligation enforced by officials.
The desire to restore the culture of environmental responsibility in Lagos is commendable. Yet reviving the monthly sanitation exercise without resolving the legal, economic, and structural issues that led to its suspension risks turning the initiative into little more than a symbolic gesture.
At Daily Review Online, we insist that for Lagos to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment, sanitation must evolve beyond periodic enforcement to become a continuous partnership between government, infrastructure, and responsible citizens.