Lagos, Noise and Environmental Pollution

Lagos is globally is ranked as the 14th most populous city in the world, and the third in Africa. With a bourgeoning population in excess of 20 million, the concomitant challenges of a megacity are humongous, including noise and environmental pollution. The consequent physical and health implications, are the subject of this Discourse byAdesegun Talabi, Sulaimon Arigbabu and Akinmayowa Shobo with viable solutions proffered, on how to handle different consequences arising therefrom

Lagos at the Brink: The Fight for a Livable Mega City

Adesegun Talabi

Environmental Pollution

Lagos is not jwust a city, it is a living, breathing organism of over 20 million people, pulsating with energy, ambition, and chaos. But, beneath the hustle lies a silent crisis that is slowly choking its residents: the deadly combination of environmental and noise pollution. From the mountains of garbage that line our streets, to the unrelenting blare of generators, Church loudspeakers, and Mosque calls to prayer that begin before dawn, Lagos has become a city that assaults the senses daily.

The recent Ikorodu pollution incident, where toxic black soot blanketed homes and forced residents to flee, was not an anomaly. It was a loud, visible symptom of a deeper, systemic failure. Every day, Lagosians wake up to the same reality: overflowing dumpsters, open drains clogged with plastic waste, and a constant wall of noise that makes sleep, work, and even conversation difficult.

This is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a public health crisis, an economic drain, and a profound failure of governance. The question is no longer whether something must be done, but what can realistically be done in a city as complex, vibrant, and uniquely Nigerian as Lagos.

Waste

Let us start with what we see every day. Lagos generates over 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, yet, only about 40% is collected by formal systems. The rest ends up in gutters, canals, roadsides, and even the Lagos Lagoon. The Ikorodu incident is a painful reminder of what happens when industrial waste, poor regulation, and desperate poverty collide. Residents inhaled toxic fumes for weeks. Children developed respiratory illnesses. The economic cost — lost man-hours, medical bills, and environmental damage — runs into billions of Naira.

Noise Pollution

Noise pollution is another obvious, but invisible killer. Studies by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) show that noise levels in many parts of Lagos regularly exceed 85–100 decibels — well above the World Health Organisation’s safe limit of 55 dB for daytime and 40 dB at night. Churches and Mosques, often operating powerful public address systems from 4 a.m., are the biggest culprits. But, they are not alone. Generators, traffic, commercial loudspeakers, and construction noise complete the assault.

Health Consequences

The health consequences are severe: hypertension, sleep disorders, hearing loss, stress, and reduced productivity. In a city where many residents already battle poverty and poor healthcare, noise and pollution are quietly shortening lives.

Lagos is not the first mega, city to face these problems. What makes our situation particularly difficult are Nigeria’s unique nuances: explosive population growth without matching infrastructure, weak enforcement culture (laws exist, but agencies like LASEPA and LAWMA are chronically underfunded and understaffed), religious sensitivity — any attempt to regulate noise from places of worship is often met with accusations of religious persecution, poverty and informal economy and of course, corruption. These factors make simple “copy and paste” solutions from other countries, ineffective.

Examples of Cities that Faced Similar Experiences as Lagos

Fortunately, other cities have faced similar crises and turned things around. Their experiences, offer Lagos a roadmap. Singapore transformed from a “dirty city” in the 1960s, to one of the cleanest in the world through a combination of harsh penalties and relentless public education. Littering attracts fines of up to S$1,000 (over N1.4 million) for repeat offenders, and the “Keep Singapore Clean” campaign became a national ethos. Crucially, they involved communities and made cleanliness a matter of national pride.

New York City tackled noise pollution, with its Noise Code (updated in 2007). The city created a 311 hotline for noise complaints, imposed heavy fines on Churches and nightclubs, and introduced mediation programmes. They also zoned certain areas as “noise-sensitive” (near hospitals and schools). The result? Measurable reductions in noise complaints and improved quality of life.

These cities and others like UK, Brazil and even China succeeded, because they combined strong laws with public buy-in, innovation, and political will.

Solutions for Lagos

The solutions for Lagos must be bold, practical, and Nigerian in character. We must strengthen and enforce existing laws, increase fines dramatically (e.g., N500,000 for first offence of illegal dumping, N2 million for Churches/Mosques exceeding permitted noise levels), empower LASEPA and LAWMA with more funding and technology, introduce community environmental courts at local government level for quick adjudication of minor offences and address religious noise sensitively, but firmly This last point, is the most politically delicate issue.

Additionally, we must adopt revolutionary waste management systems such as a pay -as-you-dispose system, households and businesses pay based on waste volume. We can also launch a massive public education campaign, enlightening the public of the dangers of indiscriminate waste disposal. The Government can create a Lagos Clean City Trust Fund funded by a small environmental levy on luxury goods and corporate profits, and use these funds to fund further waste disposal efforts.

Lagos is not doomed. It is a city of extraordinary resilience, and creativity. We have the laws to deliver a cleaner Lagos, what we lack is consistent political will and collective discipline.

The Ikorodu pollution tragedy, should be our wake-up call. Let it not be in vain.

The time to act is now!

Adesegun Talabi, Human Rights Lawyer, Lagos

Air, Land and Water Pollution: A Mega Palaver for the Megacity of Lagos

Sulaimon Arigbabu

Introduction

Across the world, big cities are increasingly choking under the weight of their own growth. From Beijing’s smog-filled skies to New Delhi’s toxic air, from plastic-clogged rivers in Jakarta to sprawling landfills outside São Paulo and Mexico City, urban centres are struggling with the triple crisis of air, land and water pollution. These cities, which drive global commerce and innovation, are also becoming epicentres of environmental degradation. The irony is painful: the very engines of development are now threatening the health, safety and sustainability of human life.

In Europe and North America, industrial emissions and vehicular pollution have triggered tighter environmental regulations, while Asian megacities are grappling with hazardous air quality indices that force school closures and emergency health advisories. Africa is not exempt from this global malaise. Cairo, Nairobi, Accra and Johannesburg face growing waste mountains, polluted waterways and deteriorating air quality. But, perhaps, no African city illustrates this crisis more vividly than Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.

Lagos: A Case Study in Urban Environmental Crisis

Lagos is a city of contradictions. It is dynamic, energetic, creative and resilient, yet, it is increasingly burdened by environmental dysfunction. Recent events highlight the severity of the problem.

Not long ago, residents in communities around Ikorodu raised alarm over a metal recycling facility, whose operations allegedly released noxious fumes into the air. People complained of strange odours, breathing difficulties and irritation of the eyes and skin. Though investigations followed, the incident once again exposed how industrial activities, when poorly regulated, can endanger public health in a densely populated environment.

On land, the story is equally troubling. Drainage systems and waterways across Lagos are persistently blocked with plastic bottles, nylon bags, food packaging and other biodegradable wastes. During heavy rainfall, gutters overflow, roads become rivers, and entire neighbourhoods are submerged. The blocked canals of places like Ajegunle, Mushin and parts of the mainland are not merely aesthetic problems; they are ticking time bombs.

Around major dump sites such as Olusosun and Solous, residents live with constant air pollution from burning waste and the risk of groundwater contamination from toxic leachates. These leachates, produced when rainwater mixes with decomposing waste, seep into the soil and contaminate wells and boreholes used for drinking and domestic purposes. The implications for long-term public health, are enormous.

Equally disturbing is the unsightly and seemingly officially tolerated practice of dumping waste on road medians, under bridges and at major intersections. In many parts of Lagos, heaps of refuse decorate highways like unwelcome monuments to collective negligence. During downpours, it is common to see people deliberately emptying waste into gutters, knowing fully well that the rains will “carry it away” — unfortunately, often into someone else’s compound or living room.

Markets and approved street trading points, present another dimension of the problem. Throughout the day, waste accumulates around stalls and kiosks, with traders operating under the assumption that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) or its contractors will evacuate everything at night. This culture of “someone else will clean it”, has entrenched irresponsibility and deepened the crisis.

Implications for Life, Health and Well-being

The consequences of these environmental abuses, are far-reaching. Flooding, now a regular occurrence in Lagos, has killed people, destroyed homes, displaced families and wiped out livelihoods. Properties worth billions of Naira are lost annually to floods, while small businesses collapse under the weight of repeated disruptions.

Health-wise, the burden is enormous. Air pollution increases the prevalence of respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer. Children exposed to polluted air are at higher risk of impaired brain development, reduced cognitive abilities and poor academic performance. Contaminated water spreads diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery, placing additional strain on already overstretched healthcare systems.

Stagnant water from blocked drains provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes, fuelling malaria — one of Nigeria’s deadliest diseases. Malaria significantly contributes to maternal and infant mortality, reduces human productivity, increases school absenteeism and drains household incomes. In effect, environmental pollution is not just an ecological problem; it is a direct assault on economic development and human dignity.

Wastefulness, Culture and Moral Values

Ironically, wastefulness is not African culture. Traditionally, African societies valued moderation, reuse and communal responsibility. The popular saying “cleanliness is next to godliness”, reflects deep moral roots that associate cleanliness with spirituality and discipline. In many communities, items were shared, repaired and reused. When one no longer needed something, it was “dashed” to another person who could still use it.

Children were taught to respect shared household items — cups, plates, spoons and utensils — because they belonged not just to individuals, but to the collective. Keeping them clean, was a way of respecting others. This cultural orientation was, in essence, a form of environmental management.

The introduction of plastics, especially single-use plastics, gradually eroded this value system. The culture of “use and dispose”, replaced “use and preserve.” Single-use plastics impose an attitude of irresponsibility: once used, they are no longer our problem. This acquired culture encourages disrespect for shared spaces, and abdication of responsibility for waste. It is a deeply unhelpful mindset, one that contradicts both African values and ecological sustainability.

Waste Management Challenges in a Megacity

Managing waste in a city of over 20 million people, is no small task. LAWMA and the Private Sector Participation (PSP) model were designed to address this challenge, but the system faces numerous obstacles. Many residents refuse or neglect to pay waste bills. PSP operators often collect waste irregularly due to operational constraints and poor financing.

Collection days are frequently accompanied by foul odours, from damaged bins and poorly handled waste. Rickety waste trucks litter highways with leaking refuse, turning major roads into mobile dumps. Dump sites themselves are poorly managed, lacking modern sanitary landfill infrastructure.

The brief experiment with Visionscape between 2015 and 2019, though initially promising, disrupted existing structures and eroded earlier gains. Lagos is still struggling, to rebuild an efficient system.

Noise pollution adds another layer to the crisis. Religious institutions, factories, clubs and street vendors generate excessive noise, often in residential areas. Over time, this leads to hearing impairment, sleep disorders, stress and mental health challenges.

Government also faces political, cultural and economic constraints. The recent NAFDAC ban on alcohol in sachets and small plastic bottles, aimed at addressing health and environmental risks, faced a backlash from commercial interests. Similarly, Lagos’ ban on Styrofoam and certain single-use plastics — advocated by civil society groups like HEDA Resource Centre — has suffered weak enforcement, because many view it only through the lens of lost profit.

The ever-growing population of Lagos, compounds the problem. Infrastructure and public services, are overwhelmed. The blurred responsibilities between State and local governments further weaken accountability, even after financial autonomy was granted to local councils.

Learning from Global Best Practices

Other megacities offer useful lessons. Cities like Tokyo, Singapore and Stockholm have demonstrated that disciplined waste separation, strong enforcement and public education, can drastically reduce pollution. Lagos can adopt similar strategies:

1. Strict enforcement of environmental laws, with real penalties for violators.

2. Waste separation at source, making recycling economically viable.

3. Investment in modern waste infrastructure, including sanitary landfills and waste-to-energy plants.

4. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), compelling manufacturers to take responsibility for plastic waste.

5. Massive public education campaigns on reduce, reuse and recycle.

Empowering local governments, is critical. They are constitutionally closest to communities, and best positioned to manage neighbourhood-level waste systems. Public spending on waste management must increase, not just in volume, but in efficiency.

The private sector, also has a role to play. Corporate Social Responsibility and innovative investments, can unlock new opportunities. A good example is the recent methane capture project at Ikosi Market, where market waste is converted to energy through a public-private partnership.

Environmental Impact Assessments and regular audits should be compulsory for all industrial, commercial and entertainment facilities. Noise pollution laws, must be enforced fairly. Beyond challenges, there is huge economic potential in waste recycling — from plastics to metals to organic compost.

Conclusion: A Call for a Counter Culture

We were not always like this. We were not always so careless about waste. Lagos, like many African societies, once practised moderation, reuse and communal responsibility. What we need now is a counter culture — a paradigm shift in how we generate, manage and dispose of waste.

The principles of reduce, reuse and recycle must be taught in schools, markets, Churches, Mosques and communities. Waste separation at source, is fundamental to building a sustainable waste economy.

Ultimately, environmental sustainability is not just about policies and institutions; it is about people. It is about values, attitudes and everyday choices. If Lagos is to remain a liveable megacity, its residents must rediscover an old truth in a new context: our environment is not a dumping ground — it is our collective home.

Sulaimon Arigbabu, Environmental Justice Advocate and Executive Secretary of HEDA Resource Centre

Environmental Crisis in Lagos: Why Regulation Isn’t Working and What Will

Akinmayowa Shobo

Recent reports of environmental pollution and enforcement actions by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) in Ikorodu axis (Lagos State) and the lead poisoning crisis in Ogijo, a border area between Lagos and Ogun State, underscores what residents already know about the low performance of environmental policies – the result in most cases leading to staggering mortality and morbidity cases in the communities hosting business enterprises. The gap between regulatory oversight and reality defines the State’s environmental crisis across multiple fronts. This discourse examined environmental challenges in the state. It looked at whether current enforcement failures stem from inadequate penalties or reflect deeper market failures that make compliance economically irrational. It also considers whether Lagos faces an environmental necessity that demands immediate action, or a governance test in balancing health protection with development realities.

The Current Status

Air quality presents the most visible crisis. Lagos’s PM2.5 concentrations average 68 μg/m³(seven times WHO guidelines). Thousands die prematurely each year from respiratory diseases, with economic losses exceeding N2 billion annually. The sources are multiple, and interconnected. Industrial facilities contribute significantly, as recently reported by The Guardian) particularly steel plants and battery recyclers operating without adequate pollution controls. Vehicles account for roughly one-third of emissions, with over 200 vehicles per kilometre burning fuel with excessive sulphur levels. Backup generators supply approximately half of energy demand, due to unreliable grid electricity. Open burning of waste, adds substantial particulate matter.

Many observers argue that, Lagos’s enforcement challenge is largely economic. Regulators can temporarily seal polluting facilities, but cannot impose penalties strong enough to change behaviour. For many businesses, temporary closures cost far less than investing in proper pollution-control equipment. This imbalance discourages compliance. In one case, a business enterprise that invested in cleaner technology became uncompetitive because rivals using cheaper, unsafe methods could pay more for scrap materials. The cleaner firm eventually shut down. When enforcement makes pollution cheaper than compliance, violations become the rational business choice. Correcting this requires penalties and incentives that make environmental responsibility economically viable.

Water pollution operates less visibly, but with equally severe consequences. Industrial facilities in Apapa, Ikeja, and Ikorodu discharge effluents with minimal treatment directly into waterways feeding Lagos Lagoon. Sewage systems serve only a fraction of residents, with the majority relying on septic tanks or open defecation in waterfront communities. Leachate from overloaded landfills seeps into groundwater, contaminating drinking water sources. The public health implications are direct. When flooding contaminated water sources last year, a cholera outbreak killed 58 people, demonstrating how environmental failures cascade into disease. The connection between inadequate waste management, drainage failure, flooding, water contamination, and public health crises illustrates the interconnected nature of Lagos’s environmental challenges.

Landfills operate at over 80% capacity, while Lagos generates approximately 13 million tonnes of waste annually. Collection systems, reach only a fraction of residents. Uncollected waste ends up burned, creating air pollution, or dumped in drainage channels creating flooding or accumulating in communities, creating health hazards. Leachate from existing landfills contaminates soil and groundwater, with heavy metals and organic pollutants. Only 30% of drainage lines function properly, worsened by waste blocking channels. During heavy rains, this combination produces flooding that displaces residents, damages property, and contaminates water supplies. The fundamental problem extends beyond capacity, it reflects systemic failures in collection coverage, illegal dumping enforcement, and the unsustainability of landfill-dependent waste management.

Coastal and marine pollution receives less attention, despite Lagos’s identity as a lagoon city. Lagos Lagoon receives industrial effluents, sewage, solid waste, and urban runoff. Coastal communities dump waste directly into water. Plastic pollution accumulates in marine environments, affecting fish stocks and threatening marine ecosystems. Oil spills from vessels and offshore activities, contaminate beaches. Overfishing depletes commercial species. The economic implications affect fishing communities’ dependent on the lagoon, while public health risks arise from consuming contaminated seafood. The lagoon’s role in drainage and flooding dynamics connects coastal pollution to broader water management challenges, yet coordination between the Lagos State Waterways Authority and LASEPA remains limited.

Electronic waste, presents an emerging crisis. Nigeria imports substantial quantities of used electronics, much of which ends in Lagos. Informal recycling operations extract valuable materials through burning and acid treatment, releasing lead, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic compounds. Workers and nearby residents, face chronic exposure. Electronic waste dumped in residential areas, leaches toxins into soil and water. Medical waste from healthcare facilities receives inadequate treatment before disposal, creating infectious hazards. Nigeria has regulations governing electronic and hazardous waste, but enforcement and infrastructure lag behind waste generation rates. The health risks are immediate: lead poisoning causes permanent cognitive damage in children, while infectious medical waste spreads disease at humongous cost to the people and State.

Religious establishments generate approximately 70% of noise complaints, with commercial establishments, generators, traffic, and construction adding to constant urban noise. LASEPA has taken enforcement action against dozens of worship centers since 2016, yet compliance gaps persist. The challenge combines scale: thousands of worship centres across dense areas, with constitutional protections for religious freedom and limited enforcement capacity. Health impacts include hearing loss, insomnia, hypertension, and reduced cognitive performance, particularly affecting children and elderly residents. Attempting to police thousands of establishments through inspection-based enforcement, has proven inadequate.

Addressing one problem in isolation proves futile, when systemic interconnections mean failure in one area undermines progress in others.

Interventions

Addressing Lagos’s interconnected environmental challenges requires coordinated policy changes across enforcement, market mechanisms, infrastructure, and institutional capacity.

Several interventions are provided below, with the problems they are intended to address.

What would make following the rules more profitable, than breaking them?

Current penalties cost less than pollution controls, rewarding violators and punishing companies attempting clean operations. The Lagos State House of Assembly, must authorise LASEPA to impose penalties substantial enough to exceed compliance costs. A workable penalty structure would establish escalating consequences: first violations trigger warnings and technical assistance; second violations incur meaningful fines; third violations mandate permanent license revocation and criminal prosecution of executives. Research on environmental enforcement consistently demonstrates that, compliance depends on penalties exceeding the cost of controls. Nigerian securities and communications laws already authorise penalties of 1-2% of turnover for regulatory violations, establishing precedent for revenue-based fines in other sectors (World Bank, 2022). Changing economic incentives transforms violations from rational business decisions, into financially ruinous risks.

Can we reward clean businesses, instead of letting polluters undercut them?

When businesses installing proper controls shut down because operating cleanly made them uncompetitive, weak enforcement actively punished responsible businesses. Regulations include Extended Producer Responsibility provisions, but implementation has failed. A deposit-refund system would require importers to pay deposits refunded only when batteries reach certified clean recyclers. Lagos, Ogun, and NESREA could jointly certify facilities meeting international standards for pollution control, worker safety, and responsible waste disposal. This mechanism makes clean operations profitable, by ensuring supply flows to certified facilities, while dirty operators lose access to raw materials. Similar systems in other countries achieve collection rates above 90%. The approach could extend to electronics, packaging, and other waste streams with traceable supply chains. The principle is sound: align market incentives with environmental protection, by making clean operations profitable and dirty operations costly.

What infrastructure do residents need to stop polluting, even when they want to?

Behavioural regulations often fail, when alternatives don’t exist. Vehicles contribute one-third of emissions, because Lagos has the one of the shortest rail systems relative to size among major African cities. Generators supply half the city’s energy, because grid electricity fails unpredictably. Transportation infrastructure must therefore, expand: extending rail beyond the Red Line, developing bus rapid transit corridors, creating Federal-State cycling infrastructure. Electricity infrastructure requires Federal-State coordination to improve grid reliability, expand distribution, and support community solar cooperatives. The planned Epewaste-to-energy plant potentially addresses both waste management and power generation simultaneously, illustrating how integrated approaches tackle multiple challenges. Sewage infrastructure expansion, drainage rehabilitation, and waste collection coverage, must proceed in parallel with industrial enforcement. Without alternatives, compliance becomes impossible regardless of penalties.

How do we track violations, across a city too large to police?

Lagos has six air quality stations, for 24 million people. Water quality monitoring is almost inadequate. Soil contamination testing, is rare. Electronic waste tracking, is minimal. Without comprehensive data, the State cannot identify problems systematically, prioritise interventions effectively, or measure progress accurately. Expanding air quality monitoring from six to at least 30 stations with real-time data published online, enables residents to track pollution in their neighbourhoods. LASEPA should maintain public databases showing facility inspections, violations, and penalties. Research demonstrates that public information reduces pollution through reputational pressure, even without enforcement increases (Environmental Economics, 2019). When violations are publicly visible, community pressure supplements formal enforcement and market pressure affects companies concerned about reputation. Transparency transforms residents from passive victims into active monitors, extending enforcement capacity across the city’s vast scale.

How do we address pollution challenges too widespread to police?

Religious establishments, generate 70% of noise complaints. Of 619 facilities, LASEPA sealed in 2024, 528 involved noise violations, predominantly worship centres. Yet, compliance gaps persist because constitutional protections for religious freedom complicate enforcement, and limited staff cannot police thousands of establishments. For noise pollution, LASEPA should establish voluntary certification for worship centres meeting soundproofing standards, with public recognition and low-interest loans for improvements financed through levies on new religious establishment licenses. Engaging the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council and State interfaith bodies may promote voluntary compliance, while maintaining enforcement for egregious violations.

Can we enforce environmental laws, without destroying livelihoods?

Industrial facilities often argue that pollution controls would force closures and job losses. Government officials fear, enforcement will discourage investment. This creates political barriers to reform, rooted in perceived trade-offs between environmental protection and development. Yet, economic analysis suggests pollution costs substantially exceed environmental protection costs. Health impacts, reduce workforce productivity. Premature deaths, represent lost human capital. When facilities permanently close for violations, owners should fund worker retraining and provide severance. The State can partner with technical institutions to offer skills training for sectors with growth potential. This removes the false choice between environmental protection and employment, enabling enforcement, while protecting workers affected by transitions. Clean operations can be profitable, when enforcement creates level playing fields where all competitors face the same standards.

How do we pay for, comprehensive environmental reform?

Environmental bonds can target, monitoring expansion and infrastructure improvements. Penalty revenues from enhanced enforcement, can fund remediation activities. International climate finance is available, for cities demonstrating reform commitment. Public-private partnerships can develop waste-to-energy, and other infrastructure projects. The economic case supports investment: pollution costs Lagos billions annually in health impacts and productivity losses, far exceeding prevention costs. Air pollution alone, costs $2.1 billion annually (World Bank, 2020). The question is not whether Lagos can afford reform, pollution costs exceed reform costs. The question is whether political leadership will authorise adequate resources, and sustain commitment.

Who needs to act, and what must they do?

Implementation requires specific roles: The Lagos State House of Assembly must amend environmental laws, to authorise substantial penalties. The Governor must allocate resources for LASEPA expansion, monitoring infrastructure, and enforcement capacity. LASEPA must establish transparency systems, and expand coverage to all local governments. Lagos, Ogun, and NESREA must coordinate, on certification programmes. Federal authorities must collaborate, on electricity infrastructure. Residents can document violations, organise community pressure, and pursue public interest litigation. Civil society can monitor government performance, publicise failures, and mobilise public opinion. Each actor has specific responsibilities that, together, create accountability and drive sustained implementation. Can reform succeed if driven only by Government action, or must residents and civil society play active roles? The evidence suggests both are needed: Government must create policy frameworks and invest resources; Residents must demand accountability and supplement enforcement, through community action.

The recent case of environmental violations in iron and steel companies operating within the Ikorodu Industrial Corridor, particularly in Odogunyan, demonstrates current approaches to protect the environment in Lagos requires significant improvement. Whether they will do so, determines whether Lagos becomes a model for environmental management in African megacities or a cautionary example of what happens when regulation, exists but implementation fails.

Akinmayowa Shobo, Programmes Manager, HEDA Resource Centre