She made an indelible case on the environment as the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) boss during the COP 26 United Nations Convention in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Dolapo Ayokunle Fasawe is the LASEPA chief executive officer. Fasawe, who is a clinical, public health physician and environmentalist, is the first female executive officer of the agency since inception.
She spoke to thelaurel.com.ng about some of the activities of the agency, environments and lots more…
Can you state some of the achievements the agency has recorded under your leadership?
We have four zonal offices, I had to create another, even now we have 11 and it is still not enough to cover Lagos because we are in the business of environmental protection. We look at the land mass of Lagos water, land, air land, it is all our business here. Even what goes into your drainage is our business.
After creating those zones, we brought agency closer to the people. Many people did not know that noise is a pollutant and it is not good for the health.
As a public health physician, we started the Noiseless Lagos campaign. You don’t need so much money to advocate for a noiseless Lagos. It is against the law to advertise or propagate your goods with loudspeakers in any public place in Lagos.
After the advocacy, we started enforcement. Before enforcement, we did alternate dispute resolution. Enforcement means we seal the premises.
Technically, we get reports through calls and that is when someone called, complaining that his neighbours music is killing him.
You cannot play music that is above 53 decibels. You can enjoy music in your home, but once it gets to a certain decibel you are committing an offence. Noiseless Lagos has been a very successful campaign.
At least, 75 percent of big entertainment centres and religious houses have sound proofed their building because our slogan is: ‘less noise more sense’.
Sound is different from noise. When sound becomes annoying, irritating, confusing, and vibrating that is what is called noise and noise is bad for the health. Noise can cause abortion, high blood pressure, all sorts of ailments. We are not just doing it for keeping Lagos quiet, we are looking at the health impact assessment. The impact of noise on human being. We had a project in Ojota Motor Park and I am happy that as a result of that project, many conductors does not use amplifier to call passengers again.
We have a doctor, an oncologist following us on the campaign, half of the conductors are 40 percent deaf and they don’t even know because they can have sensory deafness and it is machine that will dictate that.
You’re a medical doctor, after graduation did you work elsewhere before joining Lagos State government service?
After graduation, I did my house job at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. I came to serve in Lagos State. My father insisted that I did public service and that is why I’m still here. I served in Mushin Local Government Area. I was deployed into the toughest places, I had to deal with men and gun shots and all sorts and I survived it. I went back to private sector, I worked in Duro Soleye Hospital, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, I practiced clinical medicine for about 12 years. Something was pulling me back to public service. When Asiwaju was leaving, because I was consulting for the health ministry as a doctor, he said I should join the system. I said I cannot be like these people, he said you too make them be like you. That was 2004. The rest is now history.
How do you cope in the mist of politician?
The truth is, anybody, not even politicians, if you make a good case, they would listen to you. You just have to get your acts right. Data is king, get your acts rights. Politicians are not hard to deal with. They are human beings and they are smart people, however, they are surrounded by people who, at times, do not give them facts.
But when they are surrounded with people that give them facts and data and reality, they do the right thing. My governor has supported the agency so much because I had taken the pain to explain top him the way I’m explaining to you.
I used to do medical missions during which I attended to 1.2 million Lagosians personally with my team of 250 volunteered doctors. We would go round every local government once a year and do free health care and surgeries. We have a mobile field hospital, we would do surgeries and all that.
I believe prevention is the future of medicine, that’s why I’m here. I call it health promotion. We teach you how to prevent illness and the environment is important in that. For example, malaria is directly related to the environment.
Any advice to women?
We need our women in the business of the environment because women can influence their children. Women can influence their husband. In environmental protection, everything that happens regarding pollution is the women, kitchen, nylon bag, women can start to say save plastics, teach their children about the e
Life growing up
I grew up in a university campus, my mum is a professor, my dad read history and he went to IT, Lead School in America on scholarship and he chose to study librarianship, the arts of book keeping and book reading. So, I love reading from when I was young. I was curious about the human body and how I function. Out of five of us, I’m the only one that studied medicine, my parents were very liberal. My sister is an accountant, the other one, a lawyer. I knew I wanted to become a doctor because I was curious and I rose to the peak of my career in health. Over there in health, I’m a level17 director for five years and I said okay, let’s try environment and two years on, I’m here.
What’s your kind of style?
Comfortable. I wear anything comfortable. I wore trainers to work today because I know I will be walking around. If I have to make presentations, I probably would dress different. We do a lot of field work, so it is casual/comfortable. That’s my style.
