BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, has intensified its call for stronger community participation and voluntary compliance with environmental laws as part of efforts to tackle persistent sanitation challenges and make Lagos cleaner, safer and more habitable.

The Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), made the call on Tuesday at a stakeholders and community engagement meeting for the Lagos East and Central Senatorial Districts held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Multi-Agency Safety Arena Complex, Bolade-Oshodi.

The engagement, themed “Strengthening Environmental Sanitation Through Effective Enforcement and Stakeholder Collaboration,” brought together community leaders, market associations, transport unions, traditional institutions and representatives of government agencies to deliberate on ways of improving environmental compliance across the state.

Cole stressed that enforcement alone could not solve Lagos’ environmental challenges, describing sanitation as a shared responsibility that requires the active involvement of government, communities, traders, transport operators and residents.

“Even in the military, stakeholder engagement is a vital tool for successful military-civilian synergy,” he said, urging residents to embrace responsible environmental practices and make compliance a way of life.

According to him, LAGESC intensified its operations throughout 2025 across highways, inner roads, markets, pedestrian bridges and public spaces, targeting offences including street trading, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, abuse of road setbacks and obstruction of drainage channels. He said thousands of environmental offenders had been apprehended and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

“These actions are corrective, not punitive, and are aimed at instilling discipline, safeguarding public spaces, and improving compliance,” Cole added.

He also reaffirmed the enforcement of the ban on Styrofoam food containers, warning that their non-biodegradable and non-recyclable nature contributes to blocked drainage systems, flooding and other environmental and health hazards. He therefore urged residents and businesses to embrace environmentally friendly alternatives.

The Corps Marshal called on residents to patronise approved Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators, pay their waste bills promptly, embrace recycling and report environmental infractions to the appropriate authorities. He also urged community leaders, market associations and other stakeholders to support the state’s waste-management initiatives and work closely with LAGESC to achieve lasting environmental orderliness across Lagos.

Cole maintained that voluntary compliance remained the most sustainable path to a cleaner Lagos, noting that when communities take ownership of environmental sanitation, the need for enforcement is significantly reduced.

“As we approach the new year, I urge all stakeholders to continue supporting the State’s smart waste management initiatives and to promptly report environmental infractions for swift response and corrective action,” he said.

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