From John Silas, Lagos
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has sealed several plazas around Tejuosho Market, Yaba, for environmental 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.
According to the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, 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 sanitiser markets, highways and public spaces, to acceptable standards”.
Gbadegesin called on all stakeholders, including market associations, traders, and residents, to cooperate with 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”, he stated.
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.
