Why Lagosians Should Exist In Religious Harmony And Peace - Sanwo-Olu

Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to draw lessons from Eid-el-Kabir by embracing values of sacrifice, integrity and peaceful coexistence, saying the future of society depends on the moral foundation laid within families and communities.

Speaking at the 2026 (1447 AH) Eid-ul-Adha celebration organised by the First Family of Lagos State in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Sunday, Sanwo-Olu said the significance of the festival extended beyond celebration and should inspire deeper reflection on faith, obedience and service to humanity.

Addressing a gathering of clerics, traditional rulers, public officials, community leaders, women and youth groups, the Lagos First Lady said the occasion provided an opportunity to revisit the example of Prophet Ibrahim, whose willingness to submit to divine instruction remains central to the message of Eid-ul-Adha.

Drawing from the Qur’anic theme selected for the celebration, she urged residents to make righteousness, compassion and humility guiding principles in their daily lives.

“Our diversity is a blessing and a source of strength. By embracing unity and peaceful coexistence, we can continue to build a prosperous and inclusive Lagos where everyone has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.

Sanwo-Olu argued that the message of the festival holds particular relevance for Lagos, a city shaped by diverse ethnic, cultural and religious identities, noting that social cohesion remains essential to its continued growth and stability.

She called on residents to preserve the culture of tolerance which has distinguished the state for decades, saying mutual respect across religious and social divides remains one of Lagos’ greatest assets.

The First Lady also placed emphasis on the role of parents in shaping future generations, urging families to pay closer attention to the moral and spiritual upbringing of children.

According to her, discipline, character and reverence for God must remain at the centre of efforts to prepare young people for leadership responsibilities in the years ahead.

She reiterated her office’s commitment to youth-focused interventions, pointing to programmes designed to equip young people with educational opportunities, mentorship and leadership skills.

Among the initiatives highlighted was the recently held Muslim Sisters Seminar, which featured discussions on personal development, security awareness, health education and success from an Islamic perspective.

Sanwo-Olu also acknowledged the efforts of the Ministry of Home Affairs and religious stakeholders in promoting interfaith understanding and sustaining the atmosphere of peace for which Lagos is known.

She expressed hope that the enduring lessons of Eid-ul-Adha would encourage residents to contribute positively to the state’s development and strengthen the bonds that unite its diverse communities.

  

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Waste-To-Wealth: How LAWMA Is Converting Old Tyres Into Household Tables

The Lagos Waste Management Authority has achieved a milestone in environmental innovation and waste-to-wealth initiatives, as Team Zero Trace, a group of intern students at the agency’s academy, converted abandoned tyres retrieved from the Olusosun Landfill into creatively crafted decorative tables for household use.

The Director of Public Affairs at LAWMA, Mukaila Sanusi, disclosed this in a statement.

Speaking during the presentation of the project in his office, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, commended the ingenuity and creativity demonstrated by the interns, describing the initiative as a practical reflection of the authority’s vision of transforming waste management into a sustainable circular economy system.

Gbadegesin explained that the initiative further reinforces the message that waste materials are valuable resources that can be repurposed through innovation, technical knowledge and creative thinking.

“What these young interns have achieved is highly commendable and inspiring. Transforming abandoned tyres into a beautiful decorative table clearly demonstrates that waste can become wealth when creativity meets knowledge. This is exactly the kind of innovation we seek to encourage through the LAWMA academy,” Gbadegesin said.

He stated that LAWMA remained committed to empowering young people with practical environmental and entrepreneurial skills capable of promoting sustainability while creating economic opportunities.

The LAWMA boss added that environmental sustainability extends beyond waste evacuation to include innovation, resource recovery, recycling and the development of practical solutions from materials often considered useless.

Gbadegesin encouraged young Nigerians to embrace recycling and environmental innovation, stressing that the circular economy offered enormous opportunities for job creation, economic growth and cleaner communities.

He reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to strengthening environmental education, practical learning and waste-to-wealth initiatives through the LAWMA academy.

Speaking on behalf of the team, the Class Representative, Sadiq Boluwatife, expressed appreciation to the management of LAWMA and coordinators of the academy for providing the students with the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge and hands-on experience in sustainable waste management practices.

Boluwatife noted that the project had expanded their understanding of environmental sustainability and inspired them to view waste materials from a different perspective.

According to her, the experience gained during the training had strengthened their passion for innovation, creativity and environmental responsibility while motivating them to contribute meaningfully towards building a cleaner and greener Lagos.

The handcrafted table, produced from two discarded tyres, features neatly designed storage shelves beneath, combining functionality with aesthetic appeal. The project highlights the growing potential of recycling and upcycling in converting waste materials into valuable household products while promoting sustainable environmental practices in Lagos State.

Members of Team Zero Trace include Boluwatife (Class Representative), Iyiomo Oluwaseun, Ogunsami Elizabeth, Mustapha Aisha, Adewoyin Adedoyin, Ogunfowora Yewande, Hundeyin Sunday and Ibraheem Tolulope.

  

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Ebola Threat: Lagos Moves To Limit Passenger Interaction

Authorities in Lagos are exploring measures to reduce interaction between passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries and other travellers passing through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, as authorities strengthen safeguards against the possible importation of the virus into Nigeria.

The proposal formed part of deliberations during a high-level inspection and preparedness exercise at the airport on Sunday, where state health officials, aviation regulators and airport authorities reviewed surveillance systems, emergency response plans and passenger screening protocols amid renewed Ebola outbreaks in parts of Central and East Africa.

The Lagos delegation was led by the Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, and included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Dayo Lajide; Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr Ismail Abdus-Salam; and senior officials of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.

They were received by the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Olatokunbo Arewa, alongside representatives of Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other airport agencies.

The discussions come as health authorities across the continent heighten surveillance following the spread of Ebola in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, prompting Lagos to reassess its frontline defences at Nigeria’s busiest international gateway.

The visit underscored growing concern among public health authorities that increased international mobility could heighten the risk of cross-border disease transmission if surveillance systems are not continually strengthened.

Addressing airport officials, Abayomi said Lagos was determined to preserve the efficiency of airport operations while introducing safeguards to rapidly identify and isolate potential Ebola cases.

“Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers,” he said.

He said the state was examining practical ways to limit unnecessary contact between travellers arriving from countries of concern and other passengers in the airport environment, while ensuring that airport operations remain efficient and unobstructed.

For a city that served as the entry point for Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, Abayomi said complacency was not an option.

He recalled how the virus entered the country through an infected traveller from Liberia and threatened to trigger a major public health emergency before being contained through intensive surveillance, contact tracing and the intervention of frontline health workers.

The commissioner paid tribute to the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, whose actions, he said, helped prevent wider community transmission.

“The experience taught us that vigilance can never be relaxed in a globally connected world,” he said.

Abayomi described MMIA as the country’s most critical international gateway, accounting for roughly 70 per cent of inbound international passenger traffic, making it the most likely route through which imported infectious diseases could enter Nigeria.

He identified rapid case detection, immediate isolation, safe evacuation procedures and stronger digital monitoring of travellers from affected countries as the pillars of the state’s preparedness strategy.

Ogunyemi said the battle against infectious diseases could only succeed through coordinated action involving federal and state institutions, airport operators and frontline personnel.

“The frontline actually begins here at our ports of entry. As passengers arrive, you are among the very first people to interact with them, making your role critical in our disease surveillance and response efforts,” she said.

She conveyed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s support to airport workers and argued that health security deserved the same level of national attention accorded to conventional security threats.

Lajide stressed the need to protect frontline personnel tasked with screening travellers and implementing disease-control measures.

She commended airport agencies for their collaboration and urged workers to maintain strict adherence to infection prevention protocols.

Responding on behalf of airport authorities, Arewa disclosed that MMIA had begun strengthening its preparedness infrastructure through the deployment of touchless sanitiser systems, temperature-monitoring equipment and enhanced passenger screening arrangements.

He said discussions were ongoing regarding dedicated processing channels for travellers arriving from countries classified as high-risk.

“Ebola is a highly dangerous disease, and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission,” he said.

Arewa noted that cooperation between airport authorities and the Lagos State Government, which deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remained central to future emergency responses.

Further details of preparedness measures were provided by the Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Lawal Abdullahi, who revealed that the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, before the latest Ebola developments on the continent.

He said the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had already been activated, while risk assessments had been conducted to identify countries requiring enhanced surveillance.

According to Abdullahi, passenger screening procedures were already in place before the activation of the national health declaration platform, with information routinely shared with Lagos State disease surveillance teams.

He added that discussions were underway to improve access to passenger data in order to strengthen contact tracing and monitoring capabilities when necessary.

The NCAA’s Aeromedical Assessor, Dr Abayomi Asunbo, said airlines operating international routes had been directed to ensure strict compliance with public health protocols before passengers are cleared for entry into Nigeria.

Also speaking, FAAN’s General Manager for Aviation Medical Services, Bilkis Ibrahim, said additional protective equipment, multilingual health advisories, awareness materials and personnel training programmes were being deployed across the airport network.

The Head of Medical Services at MMIA, Dr Uche Ofoegbu, said airport stakeholders had intensified sensitisation programmes to ensure staff understood their responsibilities regarding surveillance, infection control, isolation procedures and emergency response.

The inspection concluded with a tour of screening facilities and other critical airport infrastructure, during which officials reiterated their commitment to coordinated preparedness, information sharing and rapid intervention mechanisms.

Although the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained that no Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria, authorities say sustained vigilance remains essential as outbreaks continue to spread elsewhere in Africa.

The World Health Organisation said the Ebola outbreak linked to Bundibugyo virus disease continues to evolve across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

As of May 27, the WHO reported 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths among suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The organisation also confirmed that a healthcare worker from the United States who treated Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had tested positive and was receiving treatment in Germany.

  

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