The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to safeguarding its coastline and constructing safer, resilient, and environmentally sustainable infrastructure for future generations.
This commitment was reiterated by the State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, during his representation of Lagos at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.
Mr Wahab outlined the severe climate challenges facing Lagos as a coastal state, including rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and intense heat waves.
However, he insisted that Lagos is proactively addressing these risks through strategic infrastructure investments.
“Lagos as a coastal state, faces severe climate risks from rising sea levels, extreme rainfall and excessive heat. But we are not sitting back. We are building resilient infrastructure,” Wahab stated.
He stressed the importance of ownership and maintenance of such infrastructure, adding: “So as a state, we must face our realities and those realities are that we must build resilient infrastructure which is key and we must also take ownership of those infrastructures which is very key.”
Wahab disclosed that over the past two years, the Lagos State Government has completed approximately 76 kilometres of trapezoidal drainage systems across the state, coupled with year-round clearing of primary and secondary drains.
On waste management, Wahab revealed Lagos generates over 13,000 tonnes of waste daily and is transitioning from a linear “pick and dump” system to a circular economy, where waste is treated as a resource for energy and wealth creation.
He said, “In the last two years, we have chosen to categorise waste as a resource, so we have transitioned from a pick and dump system to a more sustainable, climate-friendly system where waste is now a resource for wealth, a resource for energy. Where waste is not just seen as a waste anymore.”
He further outlined Lagos’s commitment to plastic waste reduction, noting that after an 18-month moratorium, the state will begin enforcing a ban on single-use plastics starting 1 July.