August 21, 2015 – Lagos State Government has expressed deep concern over attitude of traders and mini bus operators who have degraded the environment through illegal street trading, hawking and indiscriminate parking habit on the road thereby creating heavy traffic bottleneck for other road users.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Oluwatoyin Onisarotu, stated this during an assessment tour of the area noting that it has been littered with refuse dumps, human wastes, illegal shanties and stalls, illegal motor parks, street trading and noise pollution among others.
Onisarotu who emphasized that the state government remains unwavering in its commitment to a clean, hygiene and flood free environment urged traders and mini-buses operators in the area to desist forthwith from indiscriminate loading and off-loading of passengers and goods on the main road.
He added that open urination, defecation and indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and unapproved sites, illegal street trading/hawking, indiscriminate display of wares on drainage alignment, road set-backs, trading along the railway line are forbidden by the State Environmental Sanitation Law.
He stressed that the peace, security and health of the people living and doing legal business in this environment is being compromised daily through the indiscipline and environmental violations.
Onisarotu warned that the State Government would do everything possible to restore sanity to the Oshodi area adding that the administration of Ambode will not allow the area to lose the beauty of its transformed status achieved over the years.
She said that government is committed to its zero tolerance policy and would therefore not tolerate environmental abuses in any part of the state.
