THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT HAS REOPENED THE MILE 12 MARKET.

Babatunji Wusu –

Lagos State’s government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reopened Mile 12 International Market.

According to Naija News, the government shuttered Mile 12 and Owode Onirin Market along Ikorodu Road last Friday in a joint operation by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) for indiscriminate dumping and rubbish burning.

Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, stated that the markets were closed because they were filthy, bemoaning that all drainages in the markets were clogged with rubbish.

Wahab also bemoaned the problem of indiscriminate parking and the abandoning of trucks on major roads, which impeded traffic flow.

However, the commissioner stated in a statement issued on Monday that the Mile 12 market was reopened following a thorough inspection encompassing all aspects of environmental compliance, waste management procedures, and general cleanliness within the market.

He stated that issues vital to the environment, public health, and safety were not negotiable, and that the government would not stand by helplessly as those principles were undermined and destroyed by the actions of a few.

“We cannot continue to take our environment for granted. We must change our unfavorable attitude toward the environment.

“How we treat the environment determines how the environment treats us.” We cannot fold our arms and let a few people’s indifference to affect the generality of the people.

“The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate reopening of Mile 12 International Market, following full compliance with environmental standards and safety measures previously listed as a precondition for reopening shut markets.”

“Despite numerous advocacy and public enlightenment efforts, the government is forced to enforce.” The enforcement effort will be ongoing, as no government enjoys shutting down markets, according to Wahab.

He urged vendors to follow acceptable standards, putting a premium on hygiene for their own and the public’s health, and emphasized that the government will not hesitate to shut down any market that returns to its old dirty methods.