By Tony Obi
Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) and the Lagos Youth Forum (LYF), described the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) as a visionary and revolutionary policy, which would go a long way in ensuring proper waste management.
The two 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 of government.
CPPM’s chairman, Nelson Ekujumi, said: “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.
“We are happy that the ClLI 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.”
The group, however, urged government to start the process of engaging in advocacy and sensitization of the citizenry to turn Lagos citizens into active participants, saying that a cleaner and healthier Lagos would ultimately be to the benefit and good of all.
LYF’s Secretary, Gbenga Omage, said: “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.
“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.”
LYF urged the people to key into the initiative, saying it would address the environmental challenges of the state and benefit everyone living and working in Lagos.
Last month, Governor Akinwumi Ambode signed the new Environmental Management and Protection Law, intended to bring a paradigm shift in the way the state manages all environmental issues. Government also assembled a consortium of companies led by Visionscape to manage waste collection and disposal, using ultra modern facilities.