50 civil society groups endorse Cleaner Lagos Initiative

Civil society and youth groups have endorsed the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) initiated by the administration of Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state.

The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) and the Lagos Youth Forum (LYF), an amalgamation of over 50 youth groups across the state, described CLI as a visionary and revolutionary policy.

According to a statement, the groups said the initiative, apart from its design to provide over 27,500 jobs, would also help to tackle myriads of communicable diseases occasioned by lapses in the previous environmental policies.

Nelson Ekujumi, executive chairman of CPPM spoke on behalf of his group, while Gbenga Omage executive secretary of LYF, issued a statement on behalf  his own group.

According to the state government, the aim of CLI is ensuring that all communities in Lagos are clean and neat.

In its determination to ensure effective implementation of a new environmental policy, signed in March, the state government has assembled a consortium of globally reputable companies led by Visionscape to manage waste collection and disposal, using ultra modern facilities.

While congratulating the people of Lagos over the development, the CPPM said the new policy was a testimonial of the resolve and “foresightedness” of Ambode to turnaround the state into a 21st century mega city.

“We are indeed glad that the new initiative, apart from tackling the observed environmental challenges of a megacity like Lagos, will also go a long way in tackling environmental pollution occasioned by the menace of existing dumpsites which are to be phased out and replaced with a sizeable number of modern and environmentally friendly landfill sites,” the group said.

“We are happy that the Cleaner Lagos Initiative will create an additional 27,500 jobs as a means of addressing unemployment in the State which is a cause of mass poverty and involvement of our youths in crime and other nefarious activities.”

However, CPPM urged the state government to start the process of engaging in advocacy and sensitisation of the citizenry in order to turn Lagos citizens into active participants.

On its part, the LYF said it was worthy of note that the new initiative on the environment has the potential to uplift the environmental status of the State to a mega city status.

“The new initiative will result in the procurement of modern equipment and the development of landfill sites instead of the old dump sites which constituted environmental pollution and endangered the health of the citizenry,” the group said.

“We are also glad that the new initiative will address the perennial problem of default in the payment of waste levy as it will be replaced by a public utility level which will be paid just once in a year and will ensure that refuse is evacuated 24/7 within the state.

“This improvement in the waste levy collection method will remove the bottleneck and problems associated with the system and improve the sanitation level of the state.”