Once again, the Edo State Government has demonstrated its disturbing appetite for retrogressive governance by reintroducing the long-abandoned, thoroughly discredited, and constitutionally suspect practice of locking down an entire state under the guise of an “Environmental Sanitation Day.” This time, the regime, bereft of ideas and desperate for control, and having the weight of illegitimacy hanging down on it like sword of damocles, seeks to drag us back into the dark pit of military-era authoritarianism.
Cleanliness is a civic virtue. No right-thinking citizen opposes efforts to maintain a sanitary environment. Let it be known however that it is attitude change, not draconian lockdowns, that ensures sustained cleanliness. The cleanest societies on earth do not rely on coercion. They achieve environmental health through sound public education, efficient waste disposal, reliable infrastructure, and a collective civic ethos. Edo deserves no less.
As my friend and brother, Henry Omoregie, so accurately noted, the question must be asked: Will the state evacuate the refuse immediately after the cleanup? Or will the usual heaps of waste, uncovered and undisturbed by any organized disposal effort, simply return to the drains and gutters with the next rain or wind? We cannot continue this farcical ritual of dispersal masquerading as disposal.
In the face of this forced compliance, we must confront the legal absurdities. Will defaulters be arrested? Prosecuted? Under what law? Under which legally enacted by-law of Edo State? This government must be reminded that policy is not law. No citizen can be criminally sanctioned except in accordance with a law that is clear, certain, and passed by the proper legislative authority. The Supreme Court of Nigeria in the landmark case between the Lagos State Government and the citizenry over similar environmental lockdowns held such arbitrary restrictions as unconstitutional. Edo is not immune from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Furthermore, Edo State is not just any state. We are the geographic and economic spine of Nigeria’s southern and central transport network. From the North to the South-South, from the South-East to the South-West, Nigeria breathes through Edo’s highways. Who gave the state government the power to shut down a national lifeline? Interstate travelers, traders, and emergency vehicles must not be impeded by an ill-conceived, power-drunk scheme. Must ambulances and travelers bound for critical missions remain grounded because a few in government fancy a broom and whistle?
I take personal umbrage at this tyranny. I am scheduled to fly to Abuja by 9:30 a.m. this Saturday for a vital engagement. This decision now threatens to sabotage that engagement—an unconstitutional disruption of my right to freedom of movement, protected under Section 41(1) of our Constitution. This is not governance; this is governmental sabotage.
Let no one be fooled—this is a knee-jerk reaction, not a policy of vision. It is the latest in a series of despotic tendencies by a government struggling to gain traction with the people. Governments that lack legitimacy often resort to command-and-control tactics to create the illusion of order. What we are witnessing is the governance of fear, not the governance of reason.
If this government is serious about sanitation, let it start by cleaning up the decay in its own systems—the filth in our public infrastructure, the rot in our waste management agencies, the stench of unaccountability and poor service delivery that hangs over this administration like a dark cloud.
The people of Edo deserve a forward-looking, rights-respecting, and competence-driven government. We deserve leaders who inspire change through policy and practice—not a revival of lockdown governance from the jackboot days of military dictatorship. Let it be known, from this day forward, that Edo will not be bullied. Edo will not be locked down. Edo will not be silent.
We stand for democracy. We stand for constitutional order. We stand for a clean Edo—not by decree, but by design. On this, we shall not retreat.
Daniel A. Noah Osa-Ogbegie, Esq.
Lawyer, Teacher, Apostle of Edo Renaissance, Advocate for Good Governance And Integrity in Public Service writes from Benin City.