Lagos officials embark on sanitation advocacy at selected locations
The Lagos State government on Tuesday sought the buy-in of residents in the quest to achieve environmental sustainability as officials embarked on sanitation advocacy in selected locations.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who led state officials to inspect many locations and Oyingbo market with its extension, gave the traders who displayed wares on the median and walkways of the newly constructed drainage channels 48 hours to move away.
Wahab, who used the occasion to interact with the traders, appealed to them to see the reason why they should move into stalls instead of displaying their wares on the median and roadside thereby exposing themselves to dangers.
He said illegal trading activities have virtually blocked the newly constructed drainage system.
Wahab noted that the contingency plan in place is enforcement if the carrot-dangling approach fails. He added the enforcement will commence after the close of work tomorrow.
The team also visited the Eko Hotel/Zenith Roundabout and environs where he said the drainage channel/roundabout has been turned into a major market as such the state officials came to appeal to the traders to go inside a proper market and desist from the unwholesome acts of trading illegally at any open space.
The Commissioner also visited the Idumota/Ebute Ero Police Post overhead bridge area of Lagos Island where attachment stalls were removed to check the level of enforcement compliance.
He charged the traders to continue their business but desist from erecting any physical structure under the Idumota Bridge which constitutes a danger and environmental nuisance.
He said the government would continue to have a human face in the socio-economic system across the state, stressing that the government would come back to see if the aforementioned directives are practicable or not.
Wahab and the inspection team also visited Outer Marina by CFAO/Elegbata area where the government is reopening a conduit/drainage channel to discharge directly into the lagoon which was blocked by a major construction some time ago.
He explained that the blockage has damaged the road and that was why the issue of flooding persists in the area but the State and the Federal government have collaborated to proffer a lasting solution to the flooding issue in the area.
According to him, the advocacy is a form of appeal to residents and enlists the media to continue to beg them that Nature knows nobody. Everyone should be prepared for the rains and be of good behaviour. We should not dump our waste in the drainage system in order not to clog it.
He said the government would continue to provide resilient infrastructure for people but the people must stop using styrofoam food containers and support the government to phase out single-use plastics.
“I would like to assure you that this one-on-one advocacy and enforcement will be extended to other markets/streets. We have been to Oyingbo and appealed to traders; We are going further down to Yaba market and Ojo amongst others. We would keep ramping up enforcement and will also keep appealing to the people as the rainy season is fast approaching” he said.
The Commissioner was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary Office of Drainage Services Engr. Mahamood Adegbite; LASWMO GM, Engr. Adefemi Afolabi and KAI Corps Marshall, Major Olatubosun Cole (Rtd) and Directors from the Ministry and its Agencies.
Places visited include Ebute Ero / Idumota / Police post underbridge, Outer Marina by CFAO/Elegbata area, Eko Hotel Zenith Roundabout and environs as well as Oyigbo market.
