Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Lagos State has called for stronger federal intervention to tackle industrial pollution spilling across state boundaries, warning that environmental threats can no longer be addressed by individual states acting alone.
The appeal comes amid growing concerns over transboundary pollution along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor, where industrial activities have repeatedly raised environmental and public health concerns.
Speaking on Tuesday at the grand finale of the 2026 Inter-Tertiary Institutions’ Environmental Summit Debate Competition, organised by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the agency’s General Manager, Babatunde Ajayi, said closer collaboration between federal and state authorities is essential.
“The Federal Government needs to tighten regulations and enforcement across South-West and Nigeria. We know it is a difficult job, but it needs to partner more with states to tighten regulations, particularly for industrial pollution,” Ajayi said.
The competition, themed “Combating Transboundary Pollution in Lagos State: A City-Level Intervention or a National Effort?”, was inspired by pollution incidents recorded months earlier along the Lagos-Ogun border.
Ajayi said the initiative was designed to engage university students and young innovators in finding sustainable environmental solutions.
“We thought it was important that we start this conversation at the tertiary institutions level because globally, sound ideas and innovation start in universities,” he said.
According to him, Lagos has strengthened environmental monitoring systems and introduced early-warning mechanisms to improve oversight of industries operating near border communities.
Special Adviser on Environment to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Olakunle Akodu, praised LASEPA’s efforts to place young people at the centre of environmental advocacy.
“Such initiatives are essential to achieving the vision of a greener, cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos,” Akodu said.
About the Author
Oluwatobi Adu 
