Dare Babalola
The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has arrested a notorious miscreant and a cart pusher for violating sanitation laws at Alayabiagba Market in Ajegunle.
The operation, which was part of a larger clean-up exercise, also yielded several bags of suspected Indian hemp, highlighting the link between environmental degradation and criminality.
According to Bayo Mogaji, LAWMA’s Head of Enforcement (Lagos/Badagry Axis) on Saturday, the agency is committed to upholding environmental standards and will not hesitate to take legal action against offenders.
“We will not tolerate any form of environmental degradation or criminal activity in our markets,” Mogaji warned.
The clean-up exercise, which saw impressive participation from market stakeholders, aimed to restore environmental decorum, stem indiscriminate refuse disposal, and reinforce a sustainable culture of cleanliness within commercial hubs.
LAWMA’s Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, emphasised that the agency’s enforcement actions are aimed at promoting a culture of cleanliness and civic responsibility among traders and residents.
“Markets must transcend their conventional role as mere centres of commerce and evolve into models of cleanliness, safety, and civic responsibility,” he said.
Dr. Gbadegesin stressed that the clean-up exercise should not be misconstrued as a one-off intervention but rather as a forerunner to a comprehensive, state-wide environmental compliance drive spanning all markets.
The LAWMA boss issued an unequivocal warning to market operators and stakeholders, stating that any market adjudged to be environmentally inimical or complicit in unlawful refuse disposal practices would attract swift and decisive sanctions, including outright closure, in strict conformity with existing environmental statutes.
He directed market executives and supervisory officials to purge their domains of miscreants, hoodlums, and criminal elements who exploit commercial spaces as sanctuaries for illicit activities, noting that environmental orderliness and public security are fundamentally interlinked.
The apprehended miscreant and cart pusher will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction, serving as a deterrent to others who flout environmental laws.
LAWMA also urged residents and traders to embrace environmental cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility, assuring that the agency will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to deliver a cleaner, safer, and healthier Lagos.
