Philip Nwosu
The officers and men of the Nigerian Army in Lagos on Saturday stormed the Tinubu Square area of Lagos with shovels and rakes to clean gutters and streets as part of the ceremony to mark the 2019 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL).
The soldiers and officers drawn from the 81 Division in Lagos led by senior officers of the division brought together dirt, including disposable plates, littering the streets of Tinubu Square and disposed off refused which have been gathered on the road by traders in the area.
Speaking during the environmental sanitation, the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Major General Adekunle Shodunke, who represented the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai said the exercise was to promote civil military relations and inter agency relations.
The soldiers were seen clearing the refuse dumps and drains blocked by plastic bottles, nylon and other waste materials.
According to Buratai, the environmental sanitation exercise is part of activities lined up to commemorate the 2019 Nigerian Army Day celebration.
He expressed the hope that the exercise would further boost Army/civil relations nationwide.
“We, as part of civil society see this sanitation exercise as part of our corporate social responsibility to help clean the environment and help to make it better.
“This sanitation exercise is ongoing nationwide. In Lagos, the exercise is going on simultaneously in Ikorodu, Epe, Ikeja and in all our other units,” he said.
The Army chief said the clean-up which started at Tinubu Square would end up at the Idumota Market.
He added that the sanitation would be followed by a medical outreach.
Buratai advised residents to endeavour to maintain a clean environment, urging them to help the waste management agencies to effectively clean up the Lagos metropolis.
Also traders at Ipodo and Olowu areas in Ikeja woke up to see the presence of hundreds of military men cleaning up the environment and clearing their drainages.
Majority of the soldiers were dressed in branded white vests and military camouflage trousers with the inscription NADCEL/COSAT 2019 while a few others wore complete military camouflage.