22/08/2026
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ: ๐ฝ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ
There was a time when the last Saturday of every month meant something different across Nigeria. It was environmental sanitation day, and Bwari was not left behind.
On such mornings, residents came out to sweep their streets, clear gutters and properly dispose of waste. For a few hours, commercial activities and movement were restricted, giving communities the opportunity to clean their environment.
Today, that culture has largely disappeared, and the consequences are becoming increasingly visible.
Dirty Streets, Illegal Dump Sites
Many streets across Bwari are now littered with refuse, while illegal dumping points continue to emerge in residential areas and along major roads.
The problem is not only the responsibility of the government. Residents also have a responsibility to keep their surroundings clean and dispose of waste properly. However, without a coordinated community wide sanitation exercise, individual efforts may not be enough.
Bwari Can Bring It Back
One possible lasting solution is for the Bwari Area Council to revive or strengthen the existing environmental sanitation regulations.
Every last Saturday of the month could once again be dedicated to community sanitation, with commercial activities and unnecessary movement restricted for a few hours to allow residents to clean their streets and neighbourhoods.
The exercise should not simply be about sweeping. It should include clearing blocked drainage channels, removing illegal refuse piles and ensuring that collected waste is properly taken away.
There should also be proper enforcement, public awareness and a reliable waste collection system. Residents should not clean their streets only to have the refuse dumped somewhere else.
A Cleaner Bwari Is Everyone's Responsibility
Government cannot keep every street clean without the cooperation of residents. Likewise, residents cannot solve the waste problem without effective waste collection and enforcement from the authorities.
Bringing back monthly sanitation will not solve Bwari's waste management problem overnight, but it could restore an important culture of collective responsibility.
Perhaps it is time for Bwari to bring back the last Saturday sanitation exercise and make keeping our communities clean a monthly responsibility for everyone.
