Lagos Government Responds to ‘Smelling City’ Criticism, Outlines Environmental Initiatives

The Lagos State government has rejected claims suggesting that the city is “smelling,” and listed ongoing efforts to create a cleaner, more resilient, and livable environment.

The government’s remark followed a comment by a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ushie Uguamaye, on the current state of Lagos.

Raye had in a video posted on TikTok described Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre as a “smelling city.”

But the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Public Affairs in the ministry, Kunle Adeshina, described Lagos as a rapidly evolving megacity with structured environmental solutions in place.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strategic environmental reforms in the state.

Wahab said: “Lagos is not ‘smelling’; it is evolving—toward sustainable waste processing, modernized landfill management, cleaner waterways, and structured sanitation systems.”

He stressed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration remains unwavering in its dedication to environmental sustainability.

“The challenges of waste and sanitation in a megacity like Lagos require structural solutions, not sound bites or political rhetoric.

“We have deployed over 50 air quality monitors across the state to ensure continuous assessment and control of pollutants affecting our environment,” he added.