To ensure that residents live in a healthy environment, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) said it is set to step up advocacy and enforcement to tackle all forms of environmental pollution this year.
The general manager of LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, who disclosed this at an interactive session with the media to review the activities of the Agency in 2024 and its programmes during the New Year noted that the agency will intensify enforcement and regulations on waste oil management, smoking in public places by encouraging designated areas, noise pollution, chemical handling to reduce poisoning, among others.
According to Ajayi, the agency will do everything within its ambit to make Lagos livable for every resident by ensuring they imbibe environmental culture and awareness.
Ajayi urged Lagos residents to use LASEPA’s new complaints management system and social media platforms to enhance public engagement.
He said, “As we start the year, we set new standards, targets, and goals. We hope to make Lagos livable over the next few months. We are hoping that we will be able to enshrine a new culture so that people will know the implications of their activities in the environment.
“This year, we will double up on our advocacy activities, increase our capacity around our complaint centres, and make our portals more accessible to many people. Our public complaints portals will improve, and we are deploying new complaint management systems that address issues as they arise.
“We are tightening the noose around anti-smoking advocacy. We all know that Lagos State has an anti-smoking law. In 2024, we will make sure that becomes a culture. We will ensure people have designated smoking points in the various facilities, make cigarettes not sold to children under 18 years old, and enforce all our regulations. We will ensure the public knows and manages smoking in those spaces.”
The LASEMA boss said the agency will double its advocacy on waste oil management. They recently launched advocacy on waste oil management across town. The objective is to ensure that people hand over used cooking oil to accredited collectors who will ensure it is refined appropriately.