The Lagos State government has reopened the Mile 12 International Market which it shut down for indiscriminate dumping and burning of refuse.
The Mile 12 and Owode Onirin Market along Ikorodu Road was sealed up last Friday in a joint operation by the personnel of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI).
The Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, had said that the markets were sealed because they were dirty, lamenting that all the drainages in the markets have been blocked with waste.
Wahab also lamented the menace of illegal and indiscriminate parking and the abandonment of trucks on the major road, thereby impeding the free flow of traffic.
In a statement, however, issued on Monday, the commissioner said that the Mile 12 market was reopened after a thorough assessment, covering various aspects of environmental compliance, waste management practices, and general cleanliness within the market.
He noted that issues critical to the environment, public health and safety, were not negotiable, as the government would not watch helplessly as those values were compromised and eroded by the conduct of a few people.
“We cannot continue to be nonchalant about our environment. Our negative attitude towards the environment must stop.
”The way we treat the environment is the way the environment treats us. We cannot fold our arms and allow the nonchalance of a few, to affect the generality of the people.
“Following full compliance with environmental standards and safety measures earlier listed as a precondition for reopening shut markets, the Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate reopening of Mile 12 International Market.
“In spite of several advocacy and public enlightenment, the government is left with no choice but to enforce. The enforcement exercise will be a continuous one, as no Government takes delight in shutting down markets,” Wahab said.
Reopening the market earlier on Monday, the Lagos State Ministry of Environment through the Lagos Waste Management Authority (@Lawma_gov) led by Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin appealed to the Market Leaders to continue to keep the markets clean.
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