Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Photo:FACEBOOK/ jidesanwooluofficial

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, called for proactive ways in tackling environmental challenges confronting the state development as a low-line and coastal megacity.

The governor also re-affirmed the resilience and innovativeness of the state in tackling these challenges.

Sanwo-Olu, who stated these during the World Habitat Day celebration at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, noted that in line with the celebration theme, “Accelerating Urban Action for Carbon-Free World”, Lagos State, through compact city planning, seeks to reduce emission by targeting critical sectors such as housing transactions, energy and waste management, among others.The governor, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, said: “As a result, we have retrofitted our economy by adopting energy-saving alternatives as a decisive step towards reducing carbon footprint in the state.”

He added that initiatives like tree planting campaigns, landscaping and beautification of open spaces, climate change advocacy summits and promotion of waste recycling had become institutionalised in response to the scourge in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration had recently signed the N25 billion Green Bond Market Agreement to galvanise the financial sector in providing viable financing options for green and sustainable projects in areas such as climate change adaptive transportation, housing, health and agriculture, among others.

He added that efforts to address climate change were necessary to maintain the competitive edge of the state as a megacity, an international gateway and a business hub.

Earlier, the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, in his welcome address, stated that successive topics of the celebration had underscored the importance of the environment, particularly the built environment, as a superstructure interconnecting with other important sectors.

Also, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Taibat Lawanson, noted that carbon emission was prevalent in urban centres, such as Lagos, with high population density, small land mass and high commercial and industrial activities.

She, therefore, urged proactive measures in accelerating action for a carbon-free state through sustainable measures in transportation, energy, agriculture and other areas.