The Chairman of Badagry Local Government Area, Mr Babatunde Hunpe, has called for stricter enforcement of movement restrictions during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise to ensure full compliance.

Hunpe made the call on Saturday while monitoring the reintroduced exercise in Badagry.

“If there is enforcement, people will comply. We know our people in Lagos—if you don’t enforce it, they won’t come out,” he said.

He noted that some motorists still plied the Badagry Expressway during the exercise, citing ignorance, and stressed that enforcement remains key to achieving the desired results.

Meanwhile, Hunpe commended residents who participated in cleaning their environment, noting that the exercise coincided with burial rites for the late Akran of Badagry, during which the day had already been set aside to clean all eight quarters in the town.

“Women in all eight quarters came out with brooms to sweep their environment and later gathered at the Akran’s palace,” he said.

“On our part, we moved from Ajara through the expressway to Agbalata Market in Badagry, and the level of compliance was highly commendable.”

He expressed optimism that participation would improve in subsequent exercises.

Leader of the Badagry Local Government Legislative Arm, Mr Martin Bankole, said the council would revisit existing laws guiding the exercise with a view to strengthening enforcement.

He described the sanitation exercise as successful, noting that residents cleaned their surroundings and disposed of waste using trucks provided by the Lagos Waste Management Authority.

Also speaking, the Council Manager, Mrs Senami Avoseh, said compliance was encouraging for a first outing and urged residents to maintain a culture of environmental cleanliness.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was held between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., with residents cleaning their homes and immediate surroundings.