Femi Falana (SAN) condemns Lagos sanitation exercise plan, calling it unconstitutional and a disregard for court rulings protecting residents’ freedom

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has strongly criticised the Lagos State Government’s plan to reintroduce the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing it as unconstitutional and contemptuous of a subsisting Court of Appeal judgment.

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Falana, in a statement on Sunday, argued that the policy, which restricts residents’ movement for three hours on the last Saturday of every month, is a relic of Nigeria’s military era with no place in a democratic society.

“The decision of the Lagos State Government to reintroduce the sanitation exercise where the movement of Lagos residents is restricted is a sad reminder of one of the primitive legacies of the defunct military junta in Nigeria,” Falana said.

He noted that the 2026 Lagos State Appropriation Law had earmarked N236 billion for environmental management, including urban waste management and sanitation, rendering the exercise unjustifiable.

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Falana added, had supported improved waste management strategies over restrictive measures.

He urged the government to invest in modern waste management solutions such as additional cleaners, mechanical sweepers for heavy debris, and vacuum sweepers for fine dust and litter.

Falana referenced the landmark case of Faith Okafor v. Lagos State Government (Court of Appeal, 2016).

Okafor had been arrested in 2013 for allegedly violating the movement restriction imposed during the sanitation exercise.

The appellate court ruled in her favour, declaring the restriction illegal and unconstitutional, emphasising that executive directives do not override constitutional safeguards.

Justice Biobell Abraham Georgewill, in a concurring opinion, warned that prosecuting citizens for directives not grounded in law could grant public officials “infinite, absolute and autocratic powers.”

Falana concluded that reintroducing the policy would be a direct violation of the Court of Appeal ruling and urged the Lagos State Government to abandon the proposal.