AMBODE’S CLEANER LAGOS INITIATIVE (2)
The new initiative is for the good of all, writes Taiwo Ogundipe
Governor Ambode said that sanitation will now be a daily affair in the state while the CSWs would be deployed in every ward across the state. He also said that an annual Public Utility Levy (PUL) would be introduced to replace all service fees previously paid to the waste management authorities, adding that the public was carried along in determining the rates, which according to him is relatively low.
“The PUL will be a major contribution to the state’s ongoing efforts to address severe challenges that are unique to Lagos because of rising urbanisation. The money will be held in the Environmental Trust Fund and managed meticulously by a Board of SEC regulated trustees. The trustees are under strict obligations to the people of Lagos and will be accountable to the people for every naira we spend in line with our overall environmental agenda. Compliance is the key. The burden of the cost of providing these services will remain low if everyone does their part and pays their PUL.
The new law mandates the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) to review and regulate all waste management activities within the state. It has also rebranded the sanitation police – Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) – and gave a new identity – Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LASECORPS).
The agency will be saddled with the responsibility of monitoring and maintaining surveillance on the highways, streets, public drainages, canals, markets and parks. It will also have the primary role of ensuring that citizens fulfil their civic duty by paying the public utilities levy. The PUL is a property-based charge payable by tenements for the management of solid and liquid waste, waste water and environmental intervention for the state.
It is an annual charge that will take effect as the rollout commences and will replace all service fees previously paid to the waste management authorities.
Other facets of the law include zero tolerance for street trading. The law stipulates that: “It is an offence to engage in street trading on the major highways and streets of Lagos and sell in an unapproved market in Lagos while every owner, tenant and occupier of any shop, kiosks, space or stall in any market within the state shall, on a regular basis, ensure the cleanliness of his space.”
Also to ensure sparkling streets and a dirt-free environment, the initiative stipulates that commercial vehicles operating within the metropolis must carry litter bins to discourage indiscriminate dumping of waste from the vehicle.
The law declares: “If the driver fails to provide the litter bin, the driver will also be penalised alongside the passenger or the occupier of the vehicle who commits the offence.”
The new law is also waging war on illegal structures as relevant government agencies have been empowered to clamp down on all illegal structures. House and kiosks built on sewage systems and drainage alignments are to be demolished in this regard.
The law also stipulates that the office of drainage services will henceforth approve boreholes and any other structure connected with water supply.
The newly promulgated law also addresses the menace of toxic waste, smoke-emitting vehicles and generators. No person or group of persons shall dump over any toxic waste capable of causing harm in the state and all emissions from vehicles, plants and equipment including generating plants in residential, commercial and industrial areas within the state must mandatorily meet air emission standard.
Similarly, the new law will ensure that no manufacturing of chemicals, lubricants, petroleum products, gases, quarry, cement (except for those used in construction), takes place in a residential premise. The law prescribed that any manufacturer of such items will procure an insurance policy from an approved insurance company.
Also, under the law, every owner or occupier of a facility who uses, stores, keeps and maintains underground storage tanks and surface storage tanks shall register such tanks with the enforcing authority while a facility monitoring and inspection exercise shall be carried out on all sites with surface or underground tanks periodically to determine the integrity of the facility involved while the soil test of the immediate environment shall be carried out as required.
The governor declared: “We will make chief executive officer (CEOs) accountable, from the very top to the bottom, and the law is very specific about the consequences of noncompliance.”
According to him, there would be no compromise on the application and implementation of the new policy .He admonished: “Compliance is the key. The burden of the cost of providing these services will remain low if everyone does his or her part and pays the public utilities levy.”
He warned: “With the repositioned LASECORPS, we will work within the community to enforce the new laws. The state will have a zero-tolerance policy for offenders because disregarding payment of your PUL or flouting the new regulations ultimately promotes activities that lead to the loss of lives. We have worked closely with the public in determining the rates and have succeeded in keeping this levy relatively low.”
The initiative indicates that LASECORPS’s performance evaluations and remuneration will also be tied directly to the number of actionable fines they issue for non-compliance. The sanitation corps will be supported by the PUMAU.
Defaulters of these laws will face stiff penalties, including payment of fines, ranging from N250, 000 to N5, 000,000 and/or imprisonment.
According to the governor, the state will have a zero-tolerance policy for offenders because simply put, disregarding payment of your PUL or flouting the new regulations ultimately promotes activities that lead to the loss of lives.
He declared: “The primary driver of the new bill and the initiatives that we have undertaken is not just cosmetic but to save lives. Therefore, we will unapologetically prosecute offender to the full extent of the law.” Ogundipe wrote from Lagos