Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on residents to take an active role in planting and caring for trees as the state pushes toward a greener, more climate-resilient future. The government is targeting 20,000 new trees this year, and as of June 30, roughly two-thirds of that goal — 13,401 trees — had already been planted across Lagos’s five divisions. The planting season is set to run through October, in step with the rains.
The announcement came at the state’s 2026 Tree Planting Day event, held at Eko Amore Gardens in Lekki. Sanwo-Olu, represented by Secretary to the State Government Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, framed the initiative as more than an environmental checkbox. He said the effort was about planting a lasting legacy, not just trees, and described his vision for a cooler, cleaner, flood-resistant Lagos for generations to come.
The governor also stressed that getting seedlings in the ground is only half the job — keeping them alive and thriving matters just as much. To that end, he launched a new planting drive spanning all 57 of Lagos’s Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas, with council chairmen appointed as “Tree Custodians” tasked with protecting and tracking the trees in their areas.
As a reminder of the stakes, Sanwo-Olu noted that state law requires anyone who illegally fells a tree to plant five replacements. He also honored 20 “Lagos Tree Champions” — individuals and organizations recognized for their environmental contributions — and encouraged residents to pick up free seedlings from LASPARK nurseries in Ikorodu and Agege.
Environment and Water Resources Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab called the yearly event a deliberate strategy for tackling climate change and fostering environmental responsibility. This year’s theme, “Trees for Lagos: Our City, Our Responsibility,” was meant to highlight that protecting the environment takes collective effort — a point Wahab reinforced, adding that mounting global challenges like extreme weather, flooding, and biodiversity loss make nature-based solutions like tree planting more urgent than ever.
Wahab confirmed that all 57 LGAs and LCDAs have been assigned Tree Custodian duties, with a mandate to monitor newly planted trees for at least a year to boost survival rates. He encouraged residents to think of each tree as a long-term investment in the state’s future.
Oluremi Hamzat, wife of the Deputy Governor, also spoke at the event, pointing to the pressures Lagos faces from rapid urbanization, heat, flooding, and environmental strain. She described tree planting as one of the most straightforward ways to cool the city, clean the air, protect biodiversity, and strengthen community resilience — and urged families, schools, religious groups, market associations, and businesses alike to make it a habit rather than a one-off gesture.
