Lagos Joins Inaugural Nigeria Cleanup Day: Volunteers Nationwide Clear Streets as Ojuelegba Walk Pushes Recycling

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The initiative, organised by the African Cleanup Initiative (ACI) in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre in Abuja, mobilised volunteers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to clean streets, communities, schools, markets and other public spaces, while promoting recycling and sustainable environmental practices.

Speaking during the Lagos walk, ACI President Dr Alexander Akhigbe said: "The cleanup was the action, but community ownership is the vision." He said the initiative was designed to build a culture in which citizens take responsibility for their environment without waiting for government or organisations.

Among the Lagos volunteers, the Tabitha New Life Foundation fielded an eight-person team that set out at 7:00 AM along the Lagos-Ogun corridor, clearing gutters and litter at Iju-Ishaga, Fagba Junction — with the support of LASTMA traffic officials — Agege and finally Ikeja Under Bridge, before evacuating the collected waste to approved dump sites.

The programme ties into the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with co-convener Amb. Zainab Mohammed joining the exercise at Kuje in Abuja and calling on citizens, communities and government to act together for cleaner communities.