Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has stated that Lagos residents are free to move during the state's monthly environmental sanitation exercise, asserting that no law restricts their movement. He described the three-hour movement restriction on the last Saturday of every month as unconstitutional and in disregard of a court ruling. The exercise is scheduled for 6.30am to 8.30am, as reaffirmed by the Lagos State government.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, insisted the programme remains valid, noting that the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the state, upholding the legality of the sanitation laws. He dismissed claims of a court order halting the exercise as misinformation. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had reinstated the initiative on March 14, leading a clean-up at Agege Motor Road with Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and other officials.
Falana clarified that the current sanitation directive is voluntary, not compulsory, and that residents may continue with normal activities. He emphasized that Lagos should not maintain military-era policies that limit citizens' rights. While encouraging participation in environmental cleanliness, he pointed out that the 2026 budget allocated N236bn for waste management, drainage expansion and environmental protection.
Femi Falana claims Lagos residents face no legal restriction on movement during sanitation, yet the state enforces a routine shutdown backed by a court ruling. If the exercise is truly voluntary, as Falana asserts, then the state's public insistence on compliance creates confusion for residents like those in Mushin who cleaned alongside officials in March. The allocation of N236bn in the 2026 budget for environmental projects suggests a formal commitment, but the legal ambiguity leaves citizens uncertain about their obligations. This contradiction risks turning civic participation into coerced performance.
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