The Lagos State Government has released detailed guidelines for the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, confirming that movement will be restricted and enforcement intensified as the programme resumes on Saturday, April 25.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the exercise will hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30 am and 8:30 am, during which movement across the state will be tightly controlled. The window, he explained, is designed to give residents dedicated time to clean their homes, immediate surroundings and drainage channels.

According to Wahab, a multi-agency enforcement team will be deployed to monitor compliance. Officials from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline, the Lagos Waste Management Authority and local government sanitation inspectors will conduct physical inspections during and after the exercise.

He warned that residents and businesses that flout the directive will face sanctions under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, stressing that the administration is determined to reverse poor sanitation habits and tackle flooding and public health risks linked to indiscriminate waste disposal.

To support compliance, Wahab disclosed that intervention trucks from the Lagos Waste Management Authority will patrol neighbourhoods to collect properly bagged refuse generated during the exercise. The state will also introduce incentives, including awards for the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area and the cleanest street, to promote healthy competition and community ownership.

The clarification follows a symbolic flag-off of the renewed sanitation regime along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor, which served as a pilot ahead of full-scale implementation. The programme is returning nearly a decade after it was suspended in the wake of a court ruling that questioned the legality of blanket movement restrictions.

Public reaction has been mixed. Supporters argue that the structured clean-up will help restore discipline in waste management and reduce flooding, especially in densely populated areas. Critics, however, caution that enforcement must be transparent and proportionate, urging the government to prioritise sustained public education, adequate waste collection infrastructure and clear communication to prevent abuses under the guise of environmental protection.

Wahab appealed for cooperation, urging residents to see the exercise as a shared responsibility and a crucial step toward a cleaner, safer and more resilient Lagos.