The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, read the riot act to residents who litter the drains and remove manholes, saying a stop must be put to such habit.

The Governor, who spoke at the Campos playground, Odunlami Street, while flagging off a community-based environmental sanitation awareness programme, urged all residents to take action by prioritising environmental cleanliness in their daily lives.

He expressed dismay at the level of littering of drains observed while touring some streets on Lagos Island, advising that it is high time all residents embraced good environmental habits to avoid any form of disease breakout in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu, who was in the company of his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, also lamented that most of the manholes, on some of the streets visited, have been removed and littered with refuse.

He said the awareness/sensitisation campaign will be taken round all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas to ensure that the initiative is embraced by every member of the community while ensuring that Lagosians have access to a clean, safe, flood-free and sustainable environment.

Revealing that LAWMA officials would soon commence the distribution of waste bags and waste bins to tenements across the state to aid the proper bagging of refuse, Mr. Governor promised that a gang made up of officials of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the Environment would be constituted to tackle the issue of manhole removal.

He hinted that he would lead the Members of the Executive Council every weekend to clean streets, neighbourhoods, desilt drainages and ensure evacuation of waste, saying the exercise would be a continuous culture before a decision is taken on the resumption of the Monthly Sanitation Exercise.

Sanwo-Olu said the occasion coincides with the annual Tree Planting Day celebrated globally on the 14th of July to encourage residents to embrace tree planting culture, stressing that trees are not just for beautification but to regulate temperature and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said the awareness of the re-introduction of the Sanitation Exercise was pertinent to promote a clean and healthy environment, as well as encourage community participation in waste management to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.

"As we all know, the Monthly Environmental Sanitation was a culture in Lagos State some years back as such the awareness of the re-introduction of exercise in the State is going to be another bold step of the present administration”, he noted.

Wahab said with the government's effort to create awareness and sensitise the citizens on the re-introduction of the exercise, all residents are encouraged to imbibe the culture of cleaning their homes, surroundings, and drainages in front of their tenements and streets. He added that the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials would always be on ground to collect bagged waste and dispose it off properly.

The event was witnessed by dignitaries including the Chairman, House Committee on the Environment, Hon. Olanrewaju Afinnih; Special Adviser on the Environment, Engr. Kunle Rotimi-Akodu; Permanent Secretaries, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen and Drainage Services and Water Resources, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite.