Lagos Trains 452 Vendors, Sensitises 1,054 Residents to Prevent Cholera in Flood-Prone Areas

Funmi Ogundare

Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), in partnership with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Government of Japan, Tuesday, concluded a 12-month emergency capacity-building programme aimed at preventing future cholera outbreaks in flood-prone communities across Lagos State.

The intervention followed the June 2024 cholera outbreak in Lagos, which recorded 579 suspected cases and 29 fatalities, exposing critical sanitation and waste management gaps in vulnerable areas.

Executed under UNIDO Project 240237 titled ‘Emergency Capacity Building of Informal Food and Water Vendors and Waste Workers in Flood-Affected Lagos to Combat Cholera Outbreaks’,  the initiative trained 452 informal food and water vendors, as well as waste workers on hygiene standards, safe food and water handling, and improved waste disposal practices.

In addition, 1,054 residents, comprising 623 women and 431 men, were sensitised during the first phase of the programme across eight flood-prone local government areas including Ikorodu, Alimosho, Lagos Island, Ojo, Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Badagry and Ikeja.

Speaking at the project close-out event held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, described the initiative as a proactive collaboration designed to break the chain of cholera transmission through grassroots engagement.

He disclosed that the Government of Japan provided a $225,000 grant through UNIDO to implement structured environmental health programmes in the affected councils.

According to him, “Since the commencement of the intervention in April 2025, Lagos State has not recorded any new cholera outbreak.”

He attributed the development to strengthened preventive strategies and improved community ownership.

Beyond the training programme, the commissioner emphasised complementary government measures, including intensified drainage maintenance and de-silting operations, the award of 210 drainage infrastructure projects, and deflooding interventions in 18 public schools.

Wahab also recalled a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Zoomlion to establish Material Recovery Facilities in Epe and Badagry to enhance solid and liquid waste management across the state.

In his remarks, LASEPA General Manager, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, said field assessments conducted during the project revealed persistent sanitation deficiencies in rural, riverine and flood-prone communities.

He noted that through structured training, advocacy campaigns and monitoring, the agency strengthened environmental compliance and hygiene awareness at the grassroots level.

“The frameworks developed under the project, would be integrated into LASEPA’s routine enforcement and advocacy programmes,” he stated.

Also speaking, the UNIDO representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Philbert Johnson, described the initiative as evidence of the strong link between public health protection and sustainable development.

He said the project successfully transitioned from planning to implementation, delivering training-of-trainers sessions, field outreach and emergency response tools, including rapid diagnostic kits and water purification materials.

The Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki, reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s fight against cholera and other infectious diseases.

He revealed that beyond the UNIDO-led project, Japan is funding two additional cholera-related interventions through WHO and UNOPS, bringing its total support to approximately $1.725 million.

Suzuki stressed that cholera remains preventable and called for sustained investments in hygiene education, sanitation infrastructure and community engagement to achieve zero mortality.

UNIDO Project Manager, Ms. Nahomi Nishio, said the intervention exceeded several original targets, particularly in community outreach and female participation, attributing the achievement to strong collaboration between UNIDO, LASEPA and the Lagos State Government.