Lagos govt, COWLSO partner market leaders on sanitation, security

January 15 01:48 2020 by The Ajasa News Print This Article

…Street traders advised to shun act

Benjamin Omoike

In line with the THEMES (Traffic Management & Transportation; Health & Environment; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment & Tourism; Security & Good Governance) agenda of the Lagos State Government; the state government, the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials, COWLSO, are to partner with market men and women in the state to clean up and guarantee adequate security of markets in the state.

Wife of the Lagos State Governor and Chairman of COWLSO, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, stated this on Tuesday at a seminar on ‘Market Sanitation and Security for Market Leaders’ in Lagos State in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu, who said COWLSO, prior to the move, had been involved in cleaning the streets, during the suspended state’s Environmental Sanitation exercise, noted that with the huge population of the state and 10, 000 tonnes of waste being generated daily, the women needed to support government in ensuring that over 2,000 markets recorded in the state, are clean.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu also hinted that enlightenment campaigns will be stepped up across the state and in schools, to catch students young, especially with the Blue Box Initiative of the state government, which will encourage proper sorting of waste for recycling, which in turn, could boost the economic power of individuals.
The event was attended by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Oluremi Hamzat, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, top government Functionaries, Iyaloja-General, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo and other stakeholders.

The first phase of the partnership is to span six months as a pilot scheme, while various facilitators who are key stakeholders engaged the market leaders on how to proffer solutions to their various environmental and security challenges.

In the same vein, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has enjoined market men and women to obey all environmental laws and desist from street trading in the state. 

The Governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, also encouraged them to embrace proper waste disposal by sorting waste using waste bags.

He said inspection of markets across the state would be resuscitated to allow competition for the neatest market in Lagos.      

 
On her part, wife of the Deputy Governor, Oluremi Hamzat, advised market men and women to keep the market areas hygienic always to prevent epidemic.
Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Yetunde Arobieke, appealed to the market leaders to value their lives and support government in actualising its objectives, saying that eradication of street trading is to protect lives of traders and not to witch-hunt them, because several lives have been lost to accidents while trading by the roadside.

Iyaloja General, Folasade Tinubu -Ojo also admonished traders to abide by all rules and regulations and make cleanliness a priority.