Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Oyo State Government has scrapped its traditional monthly environmental sanitation exercise in favour of a rigorous daily monitoring and enforcement system. The new approach was announced by the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Ademola Aderinto, during a press briefing in Ibadan on Monday, May 4, 2026, marking his first 100 days in office.
Aderinto explained that the era of waiting for a single designated Saturday in a month to clean the environment is over. "We are now enforcing daily environmental sanitation. Our officers are on the field every day to ensure compliance, and cleanliness must become a daily responsibility," the commissioner declared. The shift from a monthly cleanup model to a “proactive daily responsibility” culture is designed to ensure environmental health officers are deployed regularly to monitor compliance and enforce sanitation rules, with the goal of creating a cleaner and healthier environment across the state.
To support the new policy, the Ministry of Environment has re-engaged 930 environmental personnel, including vanguards, sweepers and waste packers. These workers have been enrolled in the Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme to ensure their welfare. They will maintain cleaner roads through twice-daily sweeping operations. Governor Seyi Makinde has also procured two new compactor trucks to enhance waste evacuation across the state, addressing a longstanding gap in waste management logistics.
The policy extends to the business community. As part of the measure, the government has phased out large waste bins placed along major roads and market places. Aderinto argued that these bins, which were emptied daily at a cost running into millions of naira, had become “permanent eyesores” that were not befitting for the state’s image. “The money spent evacuating them could fund infrastructural development, health and education,” he said. Markets are now expected to manage their waste internally or face sanctions.
To empower citizens, the ministry has launched the Oyo Soro Soke (Oyo SSS) Environmental Whistleblower platform. The mobile and WhatsApp‑integrated tool allows residents to report environmental violations in real time, including indiscriminate refuse dumping, blocked drainages and unsanitary practices. The informant’s identity is kept anonymous, and the whistleblower will be rewarded with one‑fifth of any fine levied on the offender. Sanctions for violations include fines, community service and imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum fine of N50,000 on conviction.
The state government has also introduced a first‑of‑its‑kind waste segregation system across government offices and initiated public‑private partnerships for the construction of modern public toilets, particularly in markets and strategic locations, as part of a broader campaign to eliminate open defecation. The government has set a target of ending open defecation across all 33 local government areas by 2031.
While the policy has been praised by environmental advocacy groups for its ambition, concerns have been raised about implementation capacity. Market leaders have acknowledged the worsening sanitation crisis; the ‘Babaloja’ of Oje Market, Alhaji Alao Olaosebikan, recently disclosed that the market currently pays N150,000 monthly to the Ministry of Environment for waste evacuation services, but the single waste container provided is insufficient for the daily refuse generated. Some environmental health officers have also recounted incidents in which residents chased verification teams away with charms, sticks and even locally made guns during open defecation exercises.
Civil society organisations have called for a state of emergency on the environment, warning that over half of Oyo State’s population still practices open defecation and that improper waste disposal poses serious threats to public health. The state government responded by pointing to its recent declaration of Ona‑Ara Local Government Area as Open Defecation Free, a breakthrough achieved through the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency in partnership with UNICEF. Four wards in Ibarapa East LGA are still yet to attain open defecation‑free certification despite significant investment in solar‑powered boreholes and sanitation infrastructure.
Despite the challenges, the policy shift represents one of the most ambitious environmental reforms undertaken by any state government in Nigeria’s South‑West region. By replacing a monthly routine with a daily enforcement system and coupling it with a digital whistleblower mechanism, Oyo State is betting on continuous pressure rather than periodic reminders to compel behavioral change. The success of the initiative will depend heavily on the willingness of residents, market traders and business owners to comply with the new rules, and on the government’s capacity to sustain the deployment of its 930 re‑engaged personnel without interruption.
As the commissioner summed up the administration’s resolve, “The future of our environment in Oyo State is bright. What we have achieved in 100 days is only the beginning.”
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments