30th September, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Few days to Sallah celebration, the Lagos State Government has banned the sale of rams on highways, major roads, open spaces, loops and verges across the state. The government has vowed to clamp down on such illegal sales of rams.
The government warned ram sellers against flouting its orders as they attract consequences, urging them to sell rams only in approved ram markets across the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, who gave the warning while on environment monitoring exercise, stressed the state government’s zero tolerance for the display and sale of rams and conversion of open spaces across the state to ram markets.
While noting the importance of rams to the celebration of the Id-el-Kabir festival, the commissioner said this should not be taken as a license towards contravening the street trading and Environmental Sanitation Laws.
He saw illegal ram markets along the open space under Otedola Housing Estate, Agege Motor Road, Ilupeju junction Rail line, Ijora, Surulere, Abeokuta Motor Road, Costain, Egbeda, Alaba, Okokomaiko, Olumegbon, Suenu, Gbaja areas in Surulere, among others.
He warned that while the state government encouraged individuals to engage in legitimate and legal means of livelihood, it would, however, not condone violation of the State Sanitation Laws.
According to him, while it was not unusual for traders to take advantage of the season to sell rams, this must be done without defacing the state or compromising the wellbeing of Lagosians.
“As a responsible and responsive government, the present administration has been in the forefront of the campaign for a healthy and cleaner environment, thus encouraging Lagosians to desist from acts that would negatively impact on the environment such as indiscriminate display of animals like rams on highways, streets and open spaces across the state.
“Lagos has attained a status in environmental management across the world and should not be seen to be engaged in retrogressive acts like selling of rams on highways. We advise that we should desist from acts that could aid the spread of communicable diseases, and rather embrace proper environmental hygiene, including proper care and handling of animals,” he said.
Bello frowned at the unhygienic ways some of these animals were reared and the unhygienic ways they dispose their waste.
He also advised Lagosians to embrace the Waste Management Policy of the State Government during the Sallah celebration as well as patronize LAWMA/PSP operators for the disposal of their solid waste.
He also warned residents who still patronize cart pushers to desist from the illegal act as it is inimical to the waste management policy of the State Government, “because whatever solid waste cart pushers collect end up inside canals, which eventually cause flooding.”