Sanitation: Mixed reactions greet Ambode’s plan to stop movement restriction

Lagosians have expressed mixed reactions over the plan by the state government to stop the restriction of people’s movement during the monthly environmental sanitation.
The Commissioner for  Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, last week revealed government’s plans to stop the restriction soon.
“Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in line with his responsive government policy, hopes to discontinue restriction of movement during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise,” he said.
He said that the governor believed that as the fifth biggest economy in Africa, Lagos State should function round the clock, adding that the government could no longer afford to keep shutting down the mega city because of sanitation.
A secondary school teacher, Mr. Ade Fatai, told our correspondent that the government plan was in order, adding that the development would go a long way in reducing the man-hour loss usually experienced during the exercise. He said given its stature as a cosmopolitan city, Lagos could not afford to shut its economy for hours due to the environmental sanitation.
“The three-hour shutdown of Lagos economy every month due to environmental sanitation, especially at this period of economic crunch in the country, is not good. If one multiplies the three hours by 12, it amounts to 36 hours of shutdown of the Lagos economy in one calendar year. I think instead of devoting a particular day and hours for clean-up, we should re-orientate ourselves on cleanliness which should be part of our culture,” he said.
A university lecturer, Mr. Suleiman Hassan, said that the government plan was reasonable, adding that the plan was triggered by both public opinion and move by the government to break economic barriers of the state among its peers.
He said: “What we need as a nation is attitudinal change and a culture that is embedded in will power and readiness to discharge our duties and responsibilities as citizens of the state. Issues such as environmental sanitation are what we should imbibe right from our living rooms to our streets and the larger society.”
Mr. Adebayo Samuel, a printer in Shomolu, however, said that the monthly environmental sanitation in the state would lose its significance if the state government cancels the restriction of people’s movement during the exercise.
“Nigerians are so enmeshed in doing the wrong thing always without adhering to rules. This will no doubt play out if the restriction of movement during the monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos is cancelled,” he said.