For a city that stinks, ₦7.5 million is not enough to buy perfumes

The controversy around the amount quoted for the procurement of liquid fragrance by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA) clearly shows Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s unyielding commitment to giving the city a pleasant and desirable scent.

One of the THEMES agenda of Sanwo-Olu’s administration is ridding the city of filth to ensure a clean and livable state for Lagosians.

This is one of the goals the governor is seriously hoping to achieve before the end of his second term, and the ₦7.5 million earmarked for the liquid fragrance is a clear testament.

Given the poor state of sanitation bequeathed to his administration, it is important to see the perfume budget as Sanwo-Olu’s effort to leave the state better than he met it.

Recall that in 2019, the governor inherited a smelly and filthy Lagos from his predecessor, Akinwunmi Ambode, whose Visionscape idea almost turned the city into a mega-pigsty.

In Ambode’s Lagos, the smell of filth, human waste and refuse permeated the nooks and crannies of the city.

Slums that were already perceived as the home of filth in the state outdid one other in the smelly Olympics, with streets on both the mainland and the island sides of the city dotted with heaps of refuse.

Highways were not left out. Even with your vehicle’s windows wound up, the malodorous breeze emanating from the refuse mountains along LASU-Isheri, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Abeokuta expressways would still fill your nostrils with pungent stench.

However, in a bid to provide a conducive environment for Lagosians, Sanwo-Olu is throwing everything at the wall to restore pleasant air in the centre of excellence.

Just recently, Sanwo-Olu called for collaborations between Nigeria and Nordic countries — Denmark, Sweden and Finland — on sharing innovative ideas to overcome environmental challenges.

At the Nordic-Nigeria Connect Conference 2023, held at Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, emphasised the need for collaboration on waste management innovations.

“By fostering innovation and sustainable practice, we can ensure that the legacy we leave behind is one of environmental stewardship and resilience,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Another recent effort aimed at ensuring a clean environment was championed by Tokunbo Wahab, the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources.

Shortly after assuming office, Wahab visited major markets, where traders recklessly violated environmental and sanitation laws and shut them down for days.

This move demonstrated Governor Sanwo-Olu’s aversion to environmental pollution which is in line with his promise to deliver a clean and healthy environment.

Sanwo-Olu has spoken at many fora about his commitment to deliver this promise. He’s also been seen in viral videos warning street traders and market women to desist from constituting environmental nuisance in Lagos.

The governor is genuinely moving heaven and earth to ensure Lagos sparkles like other mega-cities in the world, but despite his efforts, his administration has not yet achieved much in his clean environment agenda.

Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos still smells like Ambode’s. The city’s gutters are still filled with sachets and plastic bottles and highways are still dotted with filths.

The refuse heaps at Ojota, Igando and other areas of the state still stand like mountains serving residents of the areas with permanent odour.

The undersides of almost all the bridges in the city still stink from filth and daily droppings of thieving louts and beggars who roam the streets during the day and shelter under the flyovers at night. 

Almost all parts of the city still reek of permanent foul odour.

But all is not lost. The introduction of liquid fragrance in the government's spending may be the silver bullet that would eventually rid the megacity of its environmental malady.

The line item in the budget states that the distribution of the ₦7.5 million liquid fragrance is limited to the governor's office and “extends to several offices and state houses,” but surely that must be a mistake because the whole city needs it.

In his quest to advance Lagos' mega-city status, Sanwo-Olu needs the centre of excellence to smell good, and making the liquid fragrance initiative a city-wide one is the only way to convince taxpayers that he has noble ambitions rather than that he's being fiscally reckless.

To be candid, high-end perfume brands cost much more than the amount stated by the PPA. This makes it obvious that the amount to be spent on perfume is too low and the state government will need to set aside more funds to procure additional liquid fragrance.  

For Lagos to attract more investors, the city has to smell good.