Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor has advocated constructive engagement between the Lagos state government and citizens of the state for the initiation and implementation of people-friendly environment policies.
Jakpor made the submission at the first of its kind monthly stakeholder’s interactive roundtable on public policy making and execution organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in collaboration with the Center for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) in Lagos.
The roundtable which held Thursday 7 March 2024 at the Rights House, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, had as theme Lagos State Environmental Laws: Implications and effect on human and socio-economic rights of the people.
The event had in attendance members of the civil society, trade unions and the media and representatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources among others, and served as avenue to cross fertilize ideas on the environmental laws in Lagos especially the gaps in state- citizens and engagement.
Jakpor said the state environmental policies still lacked human face drawing his conclusions from the eviction of citizens of the state from communities such as Otodogbame, the states’ water privatisation plans as well as the systematic eviction of residents of Makoko.
He insisted that government is the same all over the world and will never accede to the demands of citizens except they adopted ingenious strategies of compelling government to listen such as peaceful protests, legal options and constructive use of the media.
Earlier, the Lagos Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab had said that the Lagos government recognized the pivotal role that the environment plays in shaping the quality of lives of citizens and the sustainability of communities
The commissioner also said the state government regularly engaged citizens and that the environment laws are designed to protect the health of citizens hece they will be enforced to the letter
Dr Debo Adeniran of CACOL who threw the event open said the convening was a platform for healthy exchange of ideas between the state and citizens.
