The Return of Environmental Sanitation in Edo State

 Reviving Our Values: The Return of Environmental Sanitation in Edo State

By Felix Osemwengie Isere,Esq.

For decades, the monthly environmental sanitation exercise stood as a symbol of discipline, civic responsibility, and communal pride in Edo State. It was more than just a clean-up effort, it was a culture that reinforced the values of cleanliness, unity, and public health. Every last Saturday of the month, streets were quiet not because the people were idle, but because they were active—sweeping, clearing drains, and ensuring their environment reflected their pride as Edolites.

However, for the past eight years under the immediate past administration, this noble tradition was silently buried. The monthly sanitation exercise, once a cornerstone of our community hygiene and public responsibility, was neglected and eventually abandoned. The result was predictable: increased waste, clogged drains, and a general decline in environmental standards across the state. A generation of young people grew up without witnessing this once-routine civic duty.

With the assumption of office by the new Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, a breath of fresh air is sweeping through the state. One of the most telling signs of his commitment to the people’s welfare is the reawakening of the environmental sanitation exercise. In a time when leadership is often judged by cosmetic changes, this simple yet profound decision speaks volumes.

The restoration of monthly environmental sanitation is not just about cleaning streets, it’s about restoring discipline, responsibility, and our collective values as a people. It is a signal that this new administration is interested not only in political power but also in building a healthier, more organized, and more accountable society.

What makes the Senator Okpebholo-led administration commendable is its understanding of the past—specifically, its willingness to bring back the policies and practices that worked. This is not a government afraid to learn from history. Instead of discarding past initiatives for the sake of political point-scoring, this administration is revisiting them with wisdom and refinement.

From sanitation to security, infrastructure to economic empowerment, the signs are evident: this government is serious about restoring Edo to its pride of place. The people are beginning to feel the positive shift;an administration that listens, acts, and brings back the values that once made us a beacon of progress.

The return of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise is more than a policy; it is a metaphor for a government returning to the people, reconnecting with the grassroots, and reviving a shared sense of duty. Senator Monday Okpebholo’s leadership is proving that progress does not always mean inventing new wheels—it sometimes means oiling the ones that served us well.

Edo State is on a new path, not because everything has suddenly changed overnight, but because the foundation is being relaid with sincerity and a sense of purpose. If the sanitation exercise is a sign of things to come, then indeed, there is hope that our dear state will once again stand tall,not only in infrastructure but also in the values that define us.

*Felix Osemwengie Isere*

 is a lawyer, Public Affairs Analyst and the current Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Oil and Gas.