Environmental sustainability: Lagos seeks residents buy-in
The Lagos State government on Tuesday 25 February 2025 sought the buy-in of residents in the quest to achieve environmental sustainability as officials embarked on a one on one sanitation advocacy to selected locations.
The State 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 reason on why they should move into stalls instead of displaying their wares on the median and roadside thereby exposing themselves to dangers.
“Oyingbo is where we have the interchange, the train interchange for the red line. A lot of infrastructure have been put in place by the State Government.
Unfortunately, all the road network, the passage for water, the walkway, have been turned into markets. So traders engaging in these illegal activities were served 24 hours notice yesterday which have expired. I just came to appeal to the traders one-on-one, I mean one on one advocacy before the commencement of enforcement ” he said.
He said illegal trading activities going on have virtually blocked the newly constructed drainage system, saying the contingency plan in place is to enforce if the carrot dangling approach fails and that means enforcement will commence after the close of work tomorrow.
The team also visited Eko Hotel/ Zenith Roundabout and environs where he said the drainage channel / road about have been turned into a major market as such the state officials came to appeal to these traders to go inside a proper market and desist from the unwholesome acts of trading illegally at any open space.
According to him, “We came to this Zenith Roundabout and environs after receiving several complaints from people that the place had been turned into a major business place/ market; Thankfully, you can see things yourself. So we are here to appeal to each and every one trading here to leave and stop stop the illegal acts immediately.
Wahab while undertaking the inspection also visited under 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 constitute dangers and environmental nuisance.
According to him, “thank God the media were with us some weeks ago when we came and the various illegal activities we saw under the bridge was such that we had to stop it right there and then”.
“So traders / market operators were served notices because they have built and they kept building more attachments and selling on the Idumota channel, under the bridge.So we had to clear everything” he added.
“Traders are human beings but because they want to earn a genuine living, these must be done in the context of what is allowable for us to thrive as a people” he stressed.
He said the government would continue to have a human face in the socio economic system across the state saying government would come back to see if the aforementioned directives is practicable of not.
He said the inspection team alao had to visit 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 sometime ago.
He explained that the blockage has damaged the road and the issue of flooding persist in the area but the State and the Federal government have collaborated to proffer a lasting solution to the flooding issue in the area.
“The officials are here see the level of work that has been done as regards the reopening of a conduit / drainage channel to discharge directly into the lagoon from that CFAO point where we had always have
a blockage caused by the construction carried out some time ago.
According to him, the advocacy is just to appeal to residents and enlist 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 wastes 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 will like to assure you that this one on one advocacy and enforcement will get across the states markets / streets. we have been to Oyingbo and appealed to traders; We are going further down to Yaba market, 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 other 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.
