Lagos Shuts Mile 12, Owode Onirin Markets to Address Environmental Challenges

The Lagos State Government has said it shut the Mile 12 International and Owode Onirin markets as a necessary step to address the prevailing environmental challenges and to ensure the safety and well-being of all stakeholders.

According to a statement that was issued yesterday by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, both markets were sealed in a joint operation carried out by enforcement officers from the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, as directed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.

The commissioner said, “Recent events at Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets have brought to light the pressing need for strict adherence to sanitation standards in our markets. The closure, though a difficult decision, is a necessary step to address the prevailing environmental challenges and to ensure the safety and well-being of all stakeholders.

“The closure of Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets will enable the stakeholders to assess the situation and improve public health and environmental sanity around those axes. Conditions in the markets have deteriorated to a point where immediate intervention became inevitable.”

The closure of these markets, he said, was not an isolated event, stating that it was imperative to have stringent sanitation measures in Lagos markets, and that cleanliness and adherence to environmental regulations were essential for a healthy city.

“Part of a broader strategy to instill a culture of cleanliness and compliance with environmental regulations across the board for markets within the state,” he said.

The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, stated that “the closure was necessary, to protect the health of the public and to ensure it was properly cleaned up and sanitised.

“The markets were closed for very severe unhygienic conditions and a litany of environmental infractions.”