Lagos state government has shut certain sections of the popular Alaba International Market
By Emma Ogbuehi
Barely 24 hours after the Lagos State Government, sealed off the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA), BBA and other markets within the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, it has shut certain sections of the popular Alaba International Market, equally located in in Ojo Local Government Area.
The electronics section, fancy section, and furniture section in Alaba International Market were the areas affected by the action.
The government cited environmental infractions by the traders as reasons for sealing the market.
Traders, who arrived the market on Monday, were taken aback as they discovered that their access had been denied by officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA.
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Meanwhile, LAWMA has reacted via their official X page, formerly known as Twitter on the reasons for shutting the market. The agency said: “The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), in conjunction with the Lagos State Task Force and @LAGESCOfficial, has sealed Alaba International Market over environmental offenses.
“Officials of LAWMA, LAGESC, and Lagos State Task Force carried out the enforcement on Monday on the directive of the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab.
“The market was found to be in contravention of several key waste management guidelines, such as indiscriminate waste disposal, absence of designated waste points, lack of waste receptacles for proper containment, as well as an unsatisfactory state of drainage systems.
“Despite repeated notices urging compliance with these regulations, the market authorities failed to take corrective action, prompting the sealing today.”
Similar explanations were offered for sealing of ASPAMDA and BBA in Trade fair Complex. Earlier, the popular Ladipo Auto parts market was closed on related grounds, leaving traders and patrons to count their losses.