Sanitation: LAWMA shuts Lagos market, moves on others

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has shut down business activities at the Sangotedo market in Eti Osa Area of Lagos State, even as it vowed to clamp down on more erring markets with poor sanitation. In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos by the LAWMA’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Folashade Kadiri, […]

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has shut down business activities at the Sangotedo market in Eti Osa Area of Lagos State, even as it vowed to clamp down on more erring markets with poor sanitation.

In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos by the LAWMA’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Folashade Kadiri, the regulatory agency insisted that it has become expedient to shut Sangotedo market because of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and poor hygiene practices by traders, resulting in serious environmental problem in the area.

The statement cited the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order on traffic and sanitation matters, which stresses the government’s zero tolerance for environmental abuse, including illegal and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, defacing the environment.

It noted that government’s efforts at restoring environmental sanity in the area were being thwarted by unhygienic activities of traders, who had consistently violated environmental laws and refused to patronize assigned Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators.

According to LAWMA, the management has been working round the clock to reposition the organization to rid the state of waste, necessitating the introduction of “Lagos at 4 am” operation and other initiatives aimed at restoring environmental integrity in the state.

It would be recalled that in February 2019, LAWMA warned that it would shut down Ladipo ultra-modern market in Mushin, due to poor waste management practices, a plan later shelved after the traders were reported to have complied.