AMBODE INAUGURATES NEW BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION CORPS

By Tope Musowo

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Saturday allayed the fears of residents over the resurgence of waste on major highways and streets, assuring that the State Government is on top of the situation and working round the clock to make it a thing of the past.

Speaking at Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja after inaugurating new board of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) now to be headed by a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police as Corps Marshal, Daniel Isiofia, Governor Ambode said the new waste management policy of government encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was designed to holistically address the challenges in the sector, and that all hands were already on deck to confront the initial hitches with the transition period.  

 

He said adequate officials of LAGESC transformed from the former Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), have been employed to police all nooks and crannies of the State to curb indiscriminate dumping of waste and other acts inimical to clean, hygienic and sustainable environment.   

Governor Ambode, who was represented at the inauguration by his Special Adviser on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said concerted efforts were ongoing to clear the heaps of refuse across the metropolis, and assured that there would be marked improvement in coming days.

He said: “We are all living witnesses to the restructuring we are trying to do in the environmental sector. That restructuring culminated in the introduction of CLI which is focused at ensuring that the way we clean Lagos is comparable to what is being done in first class cities in the world.

“As a result, we are changing the way environment in Lagos is being managed and to help us to achieve that, this Sanitation Corp is important. But more importantly now is to speak to the fact that yes, we are having some challenges in the area of waste management in Lagos today. We all live in Lagos but I want to reaffirm that we are doing everything to ensure that this becomes a thing of the past.”

The Governor, who recalled similar challenges in the State in 1999 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressed optimism in the workability of the new initiative, saying that the challenges with the teething stages would soon be over.

“Let me assure the people that in the coming weeks, there will be improvement. We are already witnessing a high-level of improvement; we promise that throughout this week and throughout next week, people will see a marked improvement in our State as more equipment come in to the country and we are able to deploy the equipment accordingly.

“But beyond the fact that we are clearing waste, the CLI is also ensuring that we have landfill sites not dumping sites but landfill sites where the waste we are generating in Lagos can be recycled, re-engineered and also resold so that we can create wealth and a new business for Lagosians to tap into.”

Speaking further, the Governor said: “Another key aspect of the initiative is that it will create jobs. As we speak to you, we have employed over 8500 new street sweepers that are being deployed across the State and the target is 27,500. So, every part of Lagos will have street sweepers that are unique to them and live in their neighborhood. Once again, I want to reassure the people that we are on top of the issues here; we promise that you will see a marked improvement and we are totally committed to that. God helping us, we will deliver one of the cleanest cities in the world,” the Governor said.

Besides, Governor Ambode said the support of residents was key to the success of the new initiative, and urged the people to team up with his administration to achieve the overall objective to deliver a clean, hygienic and sustainable environment.      

Also speaking, Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris said the need for the new environmental initiative became imperative owing to the fact that there was need for a review of the old system to tackle emerging challenges. 

Idris, who said there was correlation between environment and health, particularly urged LAGESC to efficiently and effectively perform its duty, just as he underscored the need for the people to support government.

“The State Government will do its bit; that is why we are here; that is why everybody is working round the clock to ensure we get things done but the people themselves have a serious role to play in terms of their behavior, personal sanitation, what to do with waste and also the people must understand that whatever disease that befall them is due to their own personal behavior because they need to complement the activities of government.

“All of us have a role to play in keeping Lagos healthy because there is a connection between health, environment and security,” Idris said.

On his part, Isiofia thanked Governor Ambode for the opportunity to serve the people, assuring that his men will hit the ground running in line with the mandate to keep the State clean.

He said though the starting point may be difficult but assured that every efforts would be made to change the face of Lagos for good.

AMBODE’S WIFE PRESENTS GIFTS TO FIRST BABIES OF 2018

By Tope Musowo

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle on Monday underscored the importance of routine immunization and post-natal care for the survival and growth of newborns, saying it was important for nursing mothers to pay greater attention to the health of their children.

She also advised expectant mothers in the State to justify government’s huge investment in maternal and infant health care by staying away from quacks and patronizing government’s health care facilities.

Speaking while presenting gifts to first babies of the year at three General Hospitals in the State, Mrs Ambode said just like the new year, the birth of a new baby brings hope, and such was why adequate care must be accorded newborns.

According to her, "The arrival of a new born generally symbolizes passing the baton to the next generation. In our culture as in many others, a new baby is a messenger of hope, indicating good fortune for the family and society.

"From the depths of my heart, I congratulate and rejoice with the happy parents. As I do so however, I wish to emphasize that post-natal care of the baby is just as important as the ante-natal.

"Therefore, mothers must take all necessary steps to ensure the well-being and good health of their babies. These include strict obedience of instructions of the medical personnel, as well as good care and attention to themselves," she said.

The wife of the Governor specifically urged nursing mothers to take advantage of the primary healthcare centres provided by the State Government to ensure full complement of routine immunization for their children, and as well make good use of family planning.

Mrs Ambode said she was aware of the fact that the present administration in the State placed high premium on health issues especially maternal and infant health, saying that as part of contribution to health sector, the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), a group which she chaired, provided high dependency units, neonatal care units, and other medical equipment and resources to enhance the quality of maternal and child care services, assuring that more would be done in 2018.

She also commended the health family in the State for the progressive improvement in health service delivery to the people, just as she appreciated corporate donors, philanthropists and Non-Governmental Organizations for their support.

"We also commend the unitring commitment of this administration to continous infrastructure upgrade, provision of modern equipment and human resource development in the health sector," Mrs Ambode said.

In his remarks, Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris said the event was symbolic being the first activity of government in the year and also exemplifying the priority given to healthcare delivery in the State.

He assured that with the exemplary leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the State Government would continue to stimulate the required quality of health service delivery that is poised to address existing health gaps as well as challenges that might emerge in future.

Besides, Idris urged the people to embrace healthy lifestyle, refrain from excessive alcohol, smoking and ensure their environment is clean.

Also, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon Segun Olulada called for strengthening of the referral system to reduce pressure on General Hospitals, saying people should imbibe the culture of first visiting Primary Healthcare centres which have been repositioned in the State.

He expressed optimism that the State Health Insurance Scheme billed to start this year will expand access to healthcare.

The hospitals visited by the First Lady are Ikorodu General Hospital, Gbagada General Hospital and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital.

At Ikorodu, the first babies were twins delivered at 12:23am and 12:24am weighing 2.9kg and 3.29kg respectively, while at Gbagada the first baby weighing 3.4kg delivered at 1:05am. At Island Maternity, the first baby was delivered at 12:05am and she weighed 3.3kg.

Mother’s packs, baby essentials and other baby gifts were presented to the babies and their parents and other babies in the ward by the wife of the Governor. 

The programme is held annually in Lagos State to celebrate the first baby born in the state.