LASEPA Unveils Enhanced Public Engagement, Anti-smoking Campaigns, Stricter Environmental Regulations for 2025

Funmi Ogundare

The General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, yesterday, unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at improving public engagement, enhancing environmental monitoring, and tightening enforcement regulations for 2025.

Speaking with journalists, Dr. Ajayi highlighted the agency’s commitment to strengthening communication channels with the public.

“We are increasing our capacity across our public complaints portal, making it easier for people to reach us. This year, we will deploy new complaint management systems that will help us filter and address issues as they arise, ensuring better engagement and faster responses,” he said.

He stated the agency has expanded its outreach with multiple platforms, including WhatsApp, emails, social media direct messages, and its website, where citizens can easily report complaints.

A key focus for the agency this year, Ajayi noted, is the enforcement of Lagos’ anti-smoking law, which aims to make smoking in public spaces a thing of the past.

He emphasised the agency will work to ensure designated smoking points are created in buildings, with clear signage for smoking and non-smoking areas.

He said: “The agency will also enforce regulations prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to minors and continue raising public awareness on the dangers of smoking.”

Dr. Ajayi also discussed LASEPA’s efforts in waste oil management, explaining that advocacy campaigns are encouraging citizens to hand over used cooking oil to designated collectors for proper disposal.

This initiative, he noted, will be extended to various sectors, including religious institutions, hospitality, and tourism, ensuring that waste management becomes a shared responsibility.

The GM underscored the importance of chemical handling regulations in Lagos, stating that the agency would clamp down on unregulated chemical markets and ensure compliance with safety standards.

“We will tighten our approach to chemical handling, as it remains one of the major environmental challenges in the state,” the GM stated.

As part of LASEPA’s strategy, Dr. Ajayi outlined a dual focus on advocacy and enforcement.

He stressed that a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to noise pollution and environmental damage would be enforced more rigorously this year, with the agency’s task force actively monitoring and penalising offenders.

LASEPA is also focusing on environmental research, with plans to launch an online digital library that will make data on water quality, air quality, and other environmental factors accessible to the public.

This initiative, the general manager said, aims to bridge the gap between academia and the public, encouraging research and fostering a culture of environmental awareness.

Furthermore, Dr. Ajayi revealed that LASEPA will continue to release environmental data weekly and is committed to ensuring industries report their environmental activities. “Industries will be required to submit their environmental technical reports, which will help us monitor and assess their impact on the environment,” he said.