VZCZCXRO4802
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0455/01 3351200
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011200Z DEC 09 ZDK CTG SVC MULTIPLE
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1075
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0632
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH AFB UK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFIUU/COMUSNAVEUR NAPLES IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000455 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV SOCI PGOV ECON NI
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES IN LAGOS 
 
LAGOS 00000455  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Ministry of 
Environment Dr. Titi Anibaba told Embassy Accra-based REO and 
PolOff on November 16 that despite significant success with 
respect to "greening" Lagos and reducing traffic congestion 
caused by illegal activities, Lagos faces significant 
environmental challenges particularly with regard to waste 
management and coastal erosion.  Anibaba also outlined Lagos 
State initiatives to confront the impact of climate change, 
and noted that there did not seem to be any natural brakes on 
Lagos' annual population growth of three percent, due largely 
to migration.  Lagos State appears to be taking its many 
environmental challenges seriously, but it is not yet clear 
whether it will develop and implement a comprehensive action 
plan to tackle these problems effectively.  END SUMMARY 
 
------------------------- 
GREENING OF LAGOS WORKING 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of 
Environment Dr. Titi Anibaba told Regional Environmental 
Officer and ConGen Lagos Poloff on November 16 that Lagos has 
been successful in its efforts to create parks and plant 
trees along roads and on medians.  Anibaba claimed that 1,500 
unemployed youths and "miscreants," who had previously made 
certain areas of the city unsafe, had been involved in 
developing the environmental projects and were now employed 
as gardeners and caretakers.  Lagos is now a safer and 
healthier place for its residents as a result of this 
initiative, Anibaba said, adding that it had improved the 
quality of life for all inhabitants.  She noted, however, 
that Lagos needed assistance in identifying which species of 
plants could survive best in an urban environment because 
many of the trees planted along roadsides had died in the 
exhaust fumes of Lagos' congested traffic.  She added that 
Lagos could also use assistance in obtaining software for 
landscape design to enable even more sophisticated landscape 
planning.  Last but not least, Anibaba pointed out that the 
Lagos State Ministry of Environment does not have 
jurisdiction over the waterways and shoreline (which are 
subject to federal authorities), yet these places are where 
some of the most obvious litter undermines state efforts to 
create a more attractive and cleaner environment in Lagos. 
 
--------------------------------- 
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR STREET VENDORS 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Anibaba explained that Lagos State has implemented 
a policy of "Zero Tolerance" with respect to street vendors 
and the construction of shops and shanties along roads in 
order to reduce traffic congestion, pollution and crime. 
Anibaba said roughly 1,000 people were employed in the 
enforcement of these laws, warning violators of impending 
action and giving them the chance to cease and desist before 
the authorities take action to remove obstructions.  Lagos 
has swept away hundreds of illegally constructed shop stalls 
offering a variety of products and services.  According to 
Anibaba, the effect of these measures has been a decrease in 
solid waste, fewer clogged drains and less crime.  (NOTE: 
Fulbright Scholar Sean Basinski challenged Lagos State 
assumptions about the impact of the "zero tolerance" policy 
at a public presentation in Lagos on July 16.  According to 
Basinski 70 per cent of Lagos residents live from the 
informal economy manifested in illegal shanties and street 
vending and the "typical" vendor is a woman supporting 
several children, not a youth who is otherwise engaged in 
crime and vandalism as alleged by State officials.  Basinski 
questions where these people are to earn an honest living if 
they are forced off the streets, noting that the shop space 
offered them by the Lagos State government is neither 
affordable nor in commercially competitive locations.  END 
NOTE.) 
 
--------------------------- 
WASTE MANAGEMENT INADEQUATE 
--------------------------- 
 
LAGOS 00000455  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Anibaba admitted that Lagos currently has no 
land-fills, only dump sites, adding that despite development 
of a state-of-the-art dump site due to open next year, this 
new site will meet only one tenth of Lagos' demand for the 
disposal of solid waste.  Liquid waste management is even 
more inadequate with no public water treatment plant 
currently in operation.  Anibaba estimated that Lagos needed 
five water treatment plants.  She noted that in addition to 
sewage, industrial waste is still disposed of without 
treatment because of inadequate enforcement of existing 
environmental laws. 
 
------------------------------------ 
COASTAL EROSION POSES SERIOUS THREAT 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Coastal erosion has been a serious problem in Lagos 
for a long time and, according to Dr. Larry Awosika of the 
Nigerian Institute of Oceanographic and Marine Research 
(NIOMR), first began when the British constructed moles to 
protect the harbor in 1908-1912.  NIOMR claims that the 
situation is aggravated by the lack of comprehensive, 
long-term planning and accuses the Lagos State government of 
reacting with ad-hoc, local measures that often create new 
problems later in nearby areas.  The situation appears to be 
getting worse, and rising sea levels caused by global warming 
could make the situation critical.  More research is needed 
to document, quantify and analyze the impact of coastal 
erosion according to NIOMR officials. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
EDUCATING LAGOSIANS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Lagos State Government is keen to educate its 
population about Climate Change.  Lagos held a "Maiden Summit 
on Climate Change" in March to draw attention to the threat 
posed by climate change, and an "Action Plan" is currently 
under development which will be presented at the next summit, 
scheduled for March 2010.  The state has also produced a film 
entitled "If Only" and a children's book which highlights 
actions individuals can take to improve their environment. 
Anibaba claimed that roughly half or about 500 of Lagos' 
schools have established climate change clubs, each with 
between 20 and 30 members, and explained that the state has 
also launched the "Me and My Tree" initiative which gives 
children a seedling to plant, and by monitoring the tree's 
growth, encourages them to nurture, value and appreciate 
nature. 
 
--------------------- 
ALARMING GROWTH RATES 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Lagos is currently a city with an estimated 18 
million inhabitants and growing at a rate of three per cent 
per year, according to Anibaba.  Growth is largely a function 
of migration into the state by Nigerians seeking economic 
opportunities.  There appears to be no natural inhibitor to 
further growth, she noted, although the infrastructure of the 
city, such as it is, is already over-burdened. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Lagos State faces immense environmental challenges. 
 Solid waste management is in its infancy, while liquid waste 
management and air pollution controls are non-existent. 
Coastal erosion is already a serious problem, and rising sea 
levels will make storm surges, already a great hazard, more 
frequent and more destructive.  Lagos State appears to take 
the problem of climate change seriously, but it is too early 
to tell if it will develop and implement a comprehensive 
action plan capable of addressing the myriad of problems 
facing the city.  On certain issues, such as waste management 
and greening initiatives, the state environmental officials 
could benefit from technical assistance by the international 
donor community. 
 
 
LAGOS 00000455  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶9.  (U) ConGen Lagos coordinated this telegram with REO and 
Embassy Abuja. 
BLAIR