MARKETS CLOSURE: TRADERS IGNORED NOTICES, WARNINGS - LASG

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Before the most recent round of market and other business closures, the Lagos State Government claimed that vendors had disregarded its notices.

The Lagos State Government declared that pollution and environmental violations were the reasons behind the closure of the markets at Mile 12 and Owode Onirin.

Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, stated that the company owners were given sufficient notice prior to the closure, despite the fact that there have been protests against the decision and many have claimed it would cause food inflation.

“We don’t just take decisions because we want to. We weighed all the options and that was why we had to ensure that they served them notices to comply. But when they fail, what do you have to do? You have to enforce the law,” he said.

“You see, if we go the emotional route to say there would be food inflation, have you quantified what you are going to lose if there is a cholera outbreak because of the filthy environment from where we buy what we eat?”

He argued that if there is a disease outbreak, the Lagos Government would be forced to spend more from its lean resources to contain it.

“So, if your environment is clean, however, that [resources] would be saved for other projects in the state,” he added.

The commissioner refuted claims made by some that the markets and businesses were shut down in order to target political opponents and an ethnic community.

“We served requisite notices,” he noted, asking: “What is ethnic about it?”

According to him, the Lagos State Government would not condone cases of environmental infractions, vowing to clamp down on those who flout laid down rules.

“If you have an illegal title, nobody can make it legal for you because as you know in law, you can’t put something on nothing,” the commissioner said.

“So, we are not cherrypicking enforcement here but doing the right thing,” he maintained.