LASG tasks residents on responsible waste management

The Lagos State Government on Saturday urged residents to show leadership in the management of waste.

Mrs Belinda Odeneye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, said this while delivering a keynote address at the Iyana Ipaja market clean up exercise.

Odeneye, represented by Mr Ademola Samuel of the Sanitation Service Department in the Ministry, urged residents to take responsibility in the handling and management of waste in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the clean up exercise, tagged “Green Valentine’, was organised by the African Clean-up Initiative (ACI) with the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Odeneye, who acknowledged the challenge in the management of waste globally, noted that government was desirous of a clean, healthy and beautiful Lagos through waste reduction, reusing and recycling.

According to her, waste generation is a non avoidable product of man’s activity.

She said that there was a correlation between sanitation and the health of the environment.

She described ACI as the vanguard of the environment, adding that concerted effort by all was needed to save the environment from indiscriminate waste disposal.

In his remarks, Mr Alexander Akhigbe, Founder and CEO, ACI, said that the Green Valentine Clean-up was meant to create advocacy for the love of the environment.

Akhigbe said that the love for the environment should be the driving force in ensuring the proper disposal of waste.

The CEO expressed gratitude to Coca-Cola Foundation for being supportive of all its organisation’s clean-up initiatives.

Also speaking, Mr Adam Munnir, Project Manager, ACI, urged Lagos residents to take up the responsibility of not dumping waste indiscriminately, adding that government alone could not shoulder the responsibility of waste management.

Volunteers for the clean up exercise expressed delight in taking part in ensuring that Iyana Ipaja was rid of waste.