Between Lasepa And Lasaa —Godday Odidi

The recent clampdown on seven pentecostal churches by Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency(LASEPA) over abatement of noise pollution in the state indicated that churches don’t bother about the damage caused by the deafening noise emanating from their public address system. The churches have ignored several warnings by the Lagos State government to reduce the noise pollution from their loud speakers at their worship centres.

The Agency meant well for Lagosians to have peace in their environment. Many pentecostal and orthodox churches are sited in private residences where regular noise that emanates from these worship centres affect residents in the neighbourhoods where the churches are located. Some church pastors fail to realize that noise pollution can be controlled if the need arises but the reverse is now the case.

Even the law is not only meant for churches only but all other business organizations that create noise pollution within the state. Many Lagosians are gradually going deaf due to excessive noise pollution that emanates from all kinds of businesses in the state. Though the law is novel to the people of the state, noise control is necessary for a city such as Lagos which is becoming a mega city. Many people have been arrested while some are still ignorant about the new laws in the state.

Even the mosques are not spared. The so-called monthly vigils by churches equally prompted the enactment of this law and the fear of this agency has made many churches to cancel their vigils and rather resort to morning and evening services.

Mosques also need to be monitored because of the noise pollution that emanates from their daily prayers by 5a.m.

Again, the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) has come tough against pasting of posters in the city of Lagos. Even the state is defaced by regular pasting of posters by churches, schools, mosques and other business organizations announcing one activity or the other.

The laws regulating these obnoxious activities are helpful to the state if these agencies can maintain the momentum of bringing erring churches, mosques and schools to book. Lagos state is gradually returning to a clean state in recent times. Cleanliness, they say is next to godliness. But a lot still needs to be done.

We know that pasting of posters is illegal but these new laws are only affecting religious leaders and school operators and nothing else. LASAA initially enforced this law before the 2011 general elections and the politicians including the state government flouted the laws. So why are the laws not effective during election period?

Although LASAA has built some strategic places where posters can be pasted for the public to be informed but such places are not conspicuous. Church pastors want their posters to be seen while many do not have the wherewithal to advertise their church programmes in the print and electronic media. Lastly, Church pastors, Imams , school operators and business organisations must learn from these new laws and avoid public embarrassment from these agencies in the state.

Every citizen of the state must abide to the laws. Our church pastors and Imams must learn to patronise media houses for adverts either local or national newspapers now and stop using posters to deface the environment in the name of propagating the work of God.

•Odidi, public affairs commentator, 20 Oro Street, Ajegunle Apapa Lagos. 08063458693,08058124798