Flooding: Nasarawa to Demolish Structures in Lafia Modern Market

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The Nasarawa State Government yesterday said it was taking proactive steps to demolish some shops blocking water channels at the Lafia Modern Market to mitigate the flood menace experienced in the state capital.

This was disclosed to journalists yesterday in Lafia by the state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resource, Yakubu Kwanta, who gave a one-week ultimatum to owners of such shops built on the water ways within the modern market to remove them with immediate effect.

He said: “The government will not tolerate the habit of building to block the water channels within the Lafia Modern Market. Such action is contrary to Section 7 of the Public Health law.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abdullahi Agwai, disclosed further that the state government was working round the clock to ensure that the issue of flooding was addressed across the state.

Kwanta, therefore, maintained that some residents were sabotaging the efforts of the state government towards achieving clean environment, hence, insisting that the ministry will demolish all shops built on water ways in the Lafia Modern Market.

The Chief Prosecuting Officer of the Environment Ministry, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, also disclosed that about 63 persons were arrested for defaulting the state environmental sanitation law.