LAGOS GOVT REOPENS KETU FRUIT MARKET AFTER ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

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The Lagos State Government has reopened the Ketu Fruit Market for business, following its earlier closure due to non-compliance with environmental regulations.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, announced the development on Friday during an inspection tour of the Lagos Island regeneration project.

Wahab explained that the market, which was sealed on Thursday, had been reopened earlier that day after authorities observed a satisfactory level of compliance by the traders.

According to him, the traders worked through the night to clean and restore the market to acceptable environmental standards.

He stated, “Market is the first point of contact for most people. Once the cleaning of those markets is done, we will unseal them.

“We have unsealed the perishable markets because they worked overnight, and we saw the level of compliance, and we unsealed like one hour ago.

“I would like to reiterate that all these markets have been served with abatement notices severally without obeying. People cannot continue to be recalcitrant and forget that the government will enforce them.

“After our intervention, we allowed them to make things right by cleaning up the market.”

He noted that the Lagos Waste Management Authority was actively intervening whenever the PSP operators faced challenges.

“LAWMA is also intervening where the PSP operators are challenged; that is an ongoing narrative with us; you saw the LAWMA trucks this morning wading in and packing those wastes at the market,” he said.

The commissioner also instructed that the illegal shanties constructed on the drainage channel of King Ado High School on Ojo Giwa be removed.

He also instructed that a building under construction on Idi Oluwo be sealed for dumping their building materials on the drainage channel.

Talking about the flooding, Wahab allayed fears of Lagos Island residents regarding the recent flooding experience.

He assured residents that necessary measures were in place to manage the floods effectively.

Wahab said the urban regeneration project, when completed, would address the perennial flooding issues in Adeniji, Oroyinyin, Idumagbo, Ojo Giwa, Jankara, Aroloya and environs.

He reiterated that the ministry would continue to ramp up its advocacy campaign on the ban of Styrofoam, adding that there was no going back on the ban.

“So, on our part, we keep doing the advocacy, and then we would not just dangle the carrot, we would also enforce and sanction people that are not ready to comply and just outrightly incorrigible,” he said.

Speaking on the flood warning issued by the Federal Government concerning some states, he urged residents not to panic, stressing that Lagos State was prepared.

“Lagos State is prepared for it, and it is an annual thing. Nature will take its course between April and sometime later in the year,” he said.

NAN