Dr Dolapo Fasawe: Setting the Standard with Every Step 

Former General Manager, Lagos State Environment Protection Agency, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe was recently appointed as the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment just weeks after she was confirmed as a Commissioner in Lagos State government. For those in the know, her appointment was facilitated by the record of achievements in the delivery of her core mandates and devotion towards building a sustainable environment in Lagos State. Chiemelie Ezeobi, who highlighted her successes at LASEPA, writes that with her doggedness, commitment and seamless delivery of her core mandate at each office she occupied, plus her inclusive style of managing resources, feelers are already out that she will exceed expectations in this federal appointment by setting the standard with every step 

The reward for hard work they often quip is more work. This cliche certainly runs true for the former General Manager, Lagos State Environment Protection Agency, (LASEPA), Dr Dolapo Fasawe, who was recently appointed as the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment. 

After she was appointed the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for allowing her to serve the good people of Lagos State in the capacity as the General Manager in LASEPA and also giving his blessings and support towards her new role as Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment in the Federal Capital Territory.

She said: “This is a new dawn for me and would bring the learnings and stewardship I have acquired over 19 years in service to Lagos State, to my dual capacity as Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment.  It is indeed a great privilege and opportunity for improved outcomes in the concerned sectors under my supervision.” 

She also expressed her appreciation to the Minister for the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for entrusting her with these great responsibilities while pledging to contribute her quota to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

It is worth noting that Dr Fasawe was considered for appointment in Lagos as a Commissioner but settled to serve at the national level.

So for those in the know, the appointment was a good fit given that Fasawe remains a signpost for good and excellent leadership. Known for her doggedness, commitment and seamless delivery of her core mandate at each office she occupied, plus her inclusive style of managing resources, feelers are already out that she will exceed expectations in this federal appointment. 

Time at LASEPA

As the sixth and first-ever female general manager at LASEPA, Dr. Fasawe not only transformed the agency, but she deployed creative means to address environmental challenges and also bequeath to the good people of the state, a clean and safe environment regardless of their status. 

This is because the agency is saddled with the mandate of protecting and improving the environment, by providing environmentally friendly solutions to varied environmental challenges. 

Established on the 1st of November, 1996, under LASEPA Edict No9 of 1996, the agency is to assist public and private organisations, industries, businesses and non-governmental organisations to achieve compliance through outlined guidelines and standards. And this Dr. Fasawe followed to the latter. 

According to her then Chief Public Affairs Officer, Bola Ajao, the work she did at LASEPA was an all-important job given the strategic position of Lagos State as the economic hub of Nigeria and the West Africa region, which confers certain responsibilities on the state that is as an emerging smart city.

Appointed on August 19, 2019, Dr. Fasawe brought her expertise to bear in the management of the agency, by expanding the scope, and mode of operation and significantly transforming LASEPA into a reputable regulatory body in the environment being understudies and replicated across the country and beyond.

While at LASEPA, she formed strategic partnerships with several strategic partners including, World Bank, Dangote, African Steel, UNIDO, US Mission, Oando, IHS Towers, the United Nations, Wema Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, amongst others, to secure funding, support, recognition for activities, solutions, and interventions that relevant and adaptable to the city’s unique environmental challenges.

According to Ajao, the Mandate Secretary’s background as a medical practitioner made it possible for her to diagnose the agency’s needs and quickly fix them all through systematic positioning of the agency to the path of efficiency and professionalism through periodic capacity building for ranks and files of the agency.  

Today, in Lagos State, the fear of LASEPA is the beginning of wisdom, particularly, for the polluters, because Dr. Fasawe dared. 

Impactful Projects

Remarkably, her tenure witnessed several laudable and impactful projects. For instance, the agency, in August 2022 launched a project tagged “Eko Clean Air initiative” at Itedo Community (Eti-Osa) to address air pollution, promote a circular economy and empower the vulnerable members of the society for sustainable development.

These initiatives and other new ideas became masterstrokes. They attracted holistic partnerships with sustainability advocates as well as the introduction and distribution of branded ‘Switch to Gas ‘cylinders, eco-friendly materials such as multiple-use bottles/bags and rechargeable lamps (to help in the reduction of air pollution, improve quality of life and further promote friendly lifestyles) to households and communities respectively.

“In all, under her leadership, there was the adoption of more strong environmental policies such as the banning of single-use plastics/bags/amplifiers at motor parks, open places, free hearing tests for the residents as well as the introduction of Trash for Cash ( a waste- to – value incentivised circular economy).

“The locals were encouraged to exchange their single-use plastics, oily and electrical waste for a cash reward, cowry cards, health insurance or food produce. The focus is to prevent pollution, reduce indiscriminate dumping of waste in drains, and water channels, and mitigate the effect of climate change as well as empower the vulnerable.

“Communities like  Itedo (Eti-Osa) Ibeshe (Ori- Ade), Ikorodu, Obalende and Elegbata (Lagos- Island) LCDAs have respectively benefited and to be replicated in all 57 LCDAs”, Ajao added.

Waking the Talk 

Also at LASEPA, she walked the talk by ensuring single-use plastics were banned within LASEPA premises, while the symbolic presentation of reusable water bottles and multiple-use bags were presented to all staff as a sustainable option to plastics and positioning of water dispensers and paper cups at strategic areas within agency facilities. 

To drastically reduce the bureaucratic hurdles of public service and further enhance effective service delivery, LASEPA Boss increased the zonal offices from four to 20 to conform with the year 2023 vision of the agency to seamlessly reach out to its various publics within the nooks and crannies of the state in other to proffer solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting the state.

The newly created zonal offices include Lekki, Mushin, Amuwo Odofin 1 &2, Surulere, Mainland, Ikorodu 1 & 2, others are Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo, Apapa 1 &2, Alimiosho 1, 2 &3, Agege, Badagry, Epe, Kosofe and Orile Igamu.

Giant Strides

Ajao further added that to maintain the leadership role as the number one environmental protection agency, the agency 2020 commissioned three developmental projects which include a mini effluent treatment plant  (ETP) that can treat wastewater and residual samples from industries that do not have access to effluent treatment plants or unable to meet the state’s acceptable standards.

The installation of six air quality control monitoring stations at Alausa, Lagos Island, Akoka, Ikorodu, Abesan Ipaja, and Lekki respectively to attain clean air and minimize pollution by comparing pollution levels to ambient air quality criteria.

As well as the E-library and Resource Centre to facilitate the agency’s activities, detect plagiarism in technical reports and also open to research activities.

Another giant feat recorded under the Doctor of the Environment was the upgrading and Certification of the seven individual laboratories to become the first ISO – Certified Government- Environmental Laboratory in Nigeria (9000:2015). This noble move aims to assist the state government with empirical data to formulate better-informed policy for the benefit of the people and environment. 

The icing on the cake was the introduction of e-payment and the provision of point of sale (POS) machines to all zonal offices for ease of payment of environmental fines. This has boosted the revenue of the government and further promoted transparency and accountability. 

About Dr. Fasawe 

Dr Fasawe, an award-winning Public Health Physician, has continued to play a pivotal role in engaging state governments and non-governmental organisations towards improved healthcare service delivery, innovations and initiatives across Nigeria.

Among her track record was her coordination of the State Emergency Public Health Information Strategy for the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Lagos State in 2014.

Before her LASEPA appointment, Dr Fasawe served as the Coordinator of the Lagos State Special Health Programs where she pioneered and coordinated the Eko Free  Health Mission, serving across all local governments in Lagos State. She was also the pioneer Desk Officer for Mental Health Programs, facilitating the promulgation of the Mental Health Bill for Lagos State, which was passed into law in January 2019.

She is a member of several local and national committees including the National Committee on the Study on Available Sustainable Alternative Materials to Plastic and Innovative Packaging and Recycling Technologies Sponsored by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

She is considered one of the foremost experts in Nigeria on exploring the nexus between public health and the environment for building resilient urban cities for the 21st Century.

She received her MBBS Degree in Medicine and Surgery from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife on the Honours roll. She was also adjudged the House Officer of the Year at the end of the horsemanship at the same university.

Dr Fasawe holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from the Lagos State University College of Medicine and a diploma in International Health Consultancy from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Global Mental Health Management from Kings College London.