•By Halimah Olamide
The Lagos State Government has reopened some markets in Mushin area recently shut for widespread environmental infractions, including indiscriminate waste dumping.
The markets included Mushin Main Market, Ojuwoye, Awolowo, Irepodun and Daleko markets.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the temporary closure was necessary.
He said the indiscriminate waste dumping observed in the markets threatened public health and the well-being of people in the area.
“Our decision to close Mushin markets was rooted in the urgent need to rectify environmental malpractices that posed a threat to public health and the overall well-being of people living in the area,” Wahab said.
In his reaction, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the ongoing enforcement action against filthy markets was a continuous one.
He said the authority would not rest on its oars until every part of the state assumed a cleaner and healthier form.
Gbadegesin reassured the public that strict monitoring and enforcement mechanisms would remain in place to prevent a recurrence of the previous environmental challenges experienced in some markets.
According to him, the authority will not fail to wield the hammer against non-compliant business facilities.