HEALTH
Agboyi-Ketu Proposes N50,000 Fine or Six Months Jail for Homes Without Waste Bins
Residents of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA in Lagos may soon be digging deeper into their pockets — or risk time behind bars — if they don’t put a waste bin or drum in front of their homes.
Lawmakers in the council’s Sixth Assembly are pushing an amendment to the environmental bye-laws that would make it an offence for any household to be without a designated waste container. The proposal was unveiled during the council’s Legislative Week at a public hearing themed “Public Hearing on Bye-law Amendment.”
The gathering brought together community leaders, market representatives, religious and traditional rulers, and residents to debate the new rules before they become law.
_What the new rules target_
Majority Leader of the House, Rahman Ademola, told attendees the review was needed because the existing laws had “gaps.” He explained that the updated law would criminalise open defecation in streets, drains, and other public spaces, ban indiscriminate dumping of refuse, building materials and debris, and mandate every household to place a waste bin or drum in front of their compound.
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“Anyone found defecating in an open space, drainage channel, or any other public place commits an offence,” Ademola stated. “Anyone who dumps refuse, construction materials, debris or any other waste material in an unauthorised location also commits an offence. Every household must have a waste drum or waste bin in front of the house.”
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_Penalty and enforcement_
If passed and signed by the council chairman on or before the 15th of this month, violators will face a fine of N50,000 or up to six months imprisonment.
Ademola said there will be no room for “I didn’t know.” Copies of the law will be sent to police stations, markets, and community associations, and the LCDA’s environmental task force will handle enforcement.
_Council boss: Laws must match infrastructure_
LCDA Chairman, Adetola Adunni-Abubakar, said development should go beyond roads and schools. While government keeps building infrastructure, it must also protect public health and residents’ welfare.
“You are the most direct representatives of the people,” she told councillors. “We need the ones we bring to your chambers to be rapidly ratified. Let us strengthen communication between the communities and the council and make laws that are executable while executing projects that our people truly need and desire.”
The public hearing is part of efforts to get buy-in from stakeholders before the bill is finalized. Once signed, officials say the new environmental rules will be widely circulated to ensure compliance across Agboyi-Ketu.
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