Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), on Thursday, continued its onslaught against environmental infractions by sealing several plazas around Tejuosho Market, Yaba.
The plazas were sealed for offences including improper waste disposal and trading activities obstructing free flow of traffic, among others. The affected plazas are those situated around Mobil Filling Station down to the left and right sections of the popular Okrika market.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the plazas were found to be in violation of several critical environmental regulations, which include indiscriminate dumping of waste on road median, use of road setbacks for trading activities, impeding free flow of traffic, and operation of illegal motor parks in the area.
He said: “Under our policy of zero tolerance for environmental infractions, LAWMA is totally committed to maintaining high environmental standards across the state. The ongoing enforcement actions are part of our broader efforts to sanitise markets, highways, and public spaces, to acceptable standards.”
Gbadegesin called on all stakeholders, including market associations, traders, and residents, to cooperate with the Authority, in ensuring that markets adhere to established environmental guidelines, adding that collaborative effort was crucial in creating an alluring cityscape that adequately supports commerce and the well-being of the people.
“As LAWMA continues to monitor and enforce compliance with environmental regulations, it is required that the affected plazas will quickly effect necessary improvements to meet required standards, before they can be reopened for business activities.
“The ongoing enforcement action is part of a larger campaign by LAWMA to improve sanitation conditions in markets across the state,
“Markets already sealed under the current campaign of zero-tolerance for environmental infractions include Oyingbo, Alayabiagba, and Oke-odo markets,” he stated.
MEANWHILE, two days after the closure of Alayabiagba International Modern Market, Lagos over environmental infractions, traders in the market have pleaded with the government to reopen the popular market. The market is situated at the boundary Ajegunle Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Council.
With tears, the traders, especially widows urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, to temper justice with mercy.
They lamented that most of them may go into depression, which can result in untimely death if the market, which they claimed was the only source of their livelihood, remained locked up.
Babaoja of Alayabiagba Market, Alhaji Lateef Ibrahim Nda, said they had complied with all requirements by sanitising the market, providing extra waste bins, removing illegal structures as well as writing undertaken to constantly ensure cleanliness.
He said the leadership of the market constantly ensure cleanliness of its environment by embarking on constant environmental sanitation every Thursday to ensure that the market meets the standard of other modern markets.
“The market committee had embarked on a self-help project by tiling the market roads, providing lighting and local security.
“But our efforts were futile owing to indiscriminate dumping of refuse from the neighbouring environment, especially waste from Navy barracks,” he said. He lamented that waste generated from residential areas close to the market, are indiscriminately dumped in the market at dead of the night, which has been worrisome to them.
Nda stressed that the waste bin provided in the market was also not sufficient, which causes indiscriminate dumping of refuse from the residential areas around the market.
He revealed that as part of self-effort, the market committee leadership employed cleaners and local security, who they pay N160,000 monthly to prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse around the market premises but yet some still have their ways, especially the cart pushers, who collect waste from residents around and dump indiscriminately early in the morning when the security guards have closed.
