The Osun State Government has reintroduced a compulsory weekly environmental sanitation exercise across markets, shops, offices and other business premises as part of efforts to curb indiscriminate waste disposal, prevent disease outbreaks and improve environmental cleanliness.

The exercise, approved by Governor Ademola Adeleke, will hold every Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., with immediate effect across the state.

The directive was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Service and Chairman of the newly constituted Osun State Environmental Sanitation Task Force, Samuel Ayanleye Aina.

According to the government, the initiative is designed to address the growing challenge of refuse being dumped in unauthorised locations and strengthen compliance with existing environmental regulations.

Under the directive, market operators, shop owners, artisans, office workers and other business owners are required to be physically present at their premises during the two-hour exercise to ensure proper cleaning and adherence to the government’s instructions.

The task force is expected to monitor sanitation activities and tackle environmental violations, particularly improper waste disposal, as the state intensifies efforts to maintain cleaner public and commercial spaces.

The government also disclosed that law enforcement agents would be deployed to monitor the exercise and support compliance.

However, it clarified that the presence of security personnel was not intended to facilitate arrests but to assist business operators and other participants in carrying out the sanitation exercise.

“The presence of law enforcement agents during the sanitation exercise is to complement the efforts of the market operators, shop owners, etc., for cleaning of the environment, and not to arrest anyone,” the statement said.

Aina urged residents and business operators across Osun to cooperate with the government and participate actively in the weekly exercise, stressing that maintaining a clean environment requires collective responsibility.

The reintroduction of the exercise places renewed emphasis on environmental sanitation as a public health priority. Improper waste disposal can block drainage channels, worsen flooding and create conditions that encourage the spread of diseases.

The success of the initiative will depend not only on enforcement but also on sustained public participation, effective waste collection and proper disposal arrangements across communities in the state.