The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, has reviewed its performance for 2025 and outlined key priorities for 2026, as it intensifies efforts to strengthen environmental regulation, enforcement, and public health protection across the state.
The General Manager of the agency, Mr. Babajide Ajayi, disclosed this at LASEPA’s Annual Performance Appraisal and Media Parley, where he said the agency recorded notable progress through a combination of advocacy and firm regulatory actions.
According to Ajayi, LASEPA’s Enforcement Department reviewed 244 enforcement cases across Lagos during the period under review. He explained that enforcement activities were deliberately expanded beyond traditional industrial areas to include religious centres, hospitality facilities, warehouses, markets, and hotels, in a bid to drive behavioural change among residents and businesses.
He further revealed that the agency led a joint monitoring and abatement exercise at the Ojota Chemical Market, in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Taskforce on Environmental Protection.
The unscheduled inspection, he said, was aimed at assessing compliance with safety regulations, warning operators against violations, and laying the groundwork for the establishment of a chemical registry system for markets dealing in hazardous substances.
“At the centre of our work is the protection of public health,” Ajayi said. “Whether pollution is from noise, chemicals or water, our goal is to ensure the safety of lives and livelihoods of Lagosians.”
The General Manager disclosed that LASEPA received 8,437 public complaints during the review period, with about 3,300 linked to noise pollution, making it one of the most reported environmental infractions in the state.
On inter-agency collaboration, Ajayi said LASEPA worked with the Lagos State Ministry of Health to conduct water quality testing in government-owned health facilities, adding that the findings from the exercise had contributed significantly to environmental health policy development.
He also announced that the agency secured a $2,000 grant from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, which supported its cholera response and environmental health interventions.
Outlining the agency’s agenda for 2026, Ajayi said LASEPA would intensify collaboration with neighbouring states, including Ogun State, to address cross-border environmental challenges. Other priorities, he said, include the publication of environmental data and imagery to improve public communication, as well as the strengthening of regulations and enforcement mechanisms to boost compliance.
He reaffirmed LASEPA’s commitment to safeguarding the environment while promoting public health and sustainable development in Lagos State.