The Lagos State Government stated on Monday that the Mile 12 International Market would reopen immediately since it had finally passed all necessary environmental and safety standards.
According to The Times, Mile 12 International Market, as well as Owode Onirin Market, were both closed on Friday due to environmental issues.
The Lagos Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, issued a statement on Monday announcing the market’s reopening.
This choice was reached following a thorough evaluation that took into account waste management procedures, environmental compliance, and the market’s overall cleanliness.
He emphasized the need to protect the environment, public health, and safety, saying that these concerns were inalienable and that the government would not permit them to be compromised by the actions of a minority.
He said, “We cannot continue to take our environment for granted. We need to change the way we think about the environment.
“The environment treats us as we treat it, and vice versa. We cannot remain passive and permit a small group of people’s carelessness to harm the majority of the population.
“The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate reopening of Mile 12 International Market following full compliance with environmental regulations and safety measures previously identified as a precondition for reopening shuttered markets.”
“Despite numerous campaign efforts and public education, the government is forced to impose laws. No government enjoys shutting down markets, therefore the enforcement process will be ongoing.”
He pleaded with business owners to uphold moral principles and give cleanliness top priority for their own health and the welfare of the neighbourhood. He made it clear that the government would act quickly to shut down any market that resumed its previous unhygienic practices.
Earlier on Friday, the Lagos State government had closed the Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets, citing a number of environmental violations and unclean conditions as the main causes.
Following orders from the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, representatives of the Lagos Waste Management Authority and the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps imposed the lockdown.
According to the commissioner, “Stakeholders will be able to examine the situation and improve public health and environmental sanity surrounding those axes. Thanks to the closure of the Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets. Market conditions have gotten so bad that quick intervention has become necessary.”
