The Lagos State Government has approved the employment of attendants to clean tertiary drains across the state.

The Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Mr Joe Igbokwe, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

Igbokwe was quoted to have said this during a stakeholders’ meeting on tertiary drains cleaning held with Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in Alausa, Ikeja.

He said, “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the creation of Tertiary Drains Squad which will complement the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang already existing at the state level to ensure that tertiary drains properly discharge into primary and secondary drains.

“With this employment of 50 drainage attendants that would be paid a minimum of N35,000 monthly, the councils would spend less but achieve more, compared to what they presently spend to clean tertiary drains.

“I am confident that this second forum will afford us the opportunity to agree on best practices to resolve all the issues concerning the cleaning and maintenance of tertiary drains which are the drains that run across our tenements and how local councils should be at the forefront of monitoring and compelling residents to clean the tertiary drains across the state.”

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Mr Lekan Shodeinde, urged LGAs to take up their constitutional roles of tertiary drainage maintenance across the state to ensure a flood-free state.