LASEPA shuts 244 hotels, churches, mosques, others over environmental violations

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has shut down 244 facilities across Lagos State in 2025 for violating environmental laws, spanning hotels, markets, eateries, warehouses, churches, mosques and households, as part of a sweeping enforcement drive to protect public health and the environment.

The General Manager of the agency, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists during LASEPA’s Annual Performance Appraisal and Media Parley at its headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja.

According to Ajayi, the closures were the outcome of sustained monitoring, compliance and enforcement activities carried out between January and December 2025.

“During the year under review, LASEPA carried out 244 enforcement actions across households, markets, hotels, warehouses, service centres, churches and mosques to ensure compliance with state environmental laws,” he said.

He added that the agency also monitored over 200 hospitality facilities, including supermarkets, nightclubs and bakeries, noting that 180 abatement notices were issued to individuals and organisations found guilty of discharging raw sewage into lagoons and engaging in other forms of land and water pollution.

Ajayi said enforcement efforts extended to industrial and chemical facilities, stressing that improved monitoring had “significantly reduced incidents of fire outbreaks and chemical spillages” in chemical markets.

He cited a joint compliance operation at the Ojota Chemical Market with NESREA and environmental task forces as a key intervention.

Beyond enforcement, the LASEPA boss highlighted community-focused initiatives, including the installation of two state-funded smokeless kiln machines at the Ago-Egun Ilaje fishing community in Bariga.

“This intervention is designed to improve air quality, protect women’s health and boost economic productivity,” he explained.

On air quality management, Ajayi said LASEPA partnered local and international institutions to deploy low-cost air quality sensors across Lagos, providing real-time pollution data to guide policy and enforcement.

He also revealed that religious leaders and nightclub operators signed memoranda of understanding with the state under the Noiseless Lagos advocacy, aimed at curbing excessive noise.

“Our goal,” Ajayi said, “is not punishment alone, but a cleaner, safer and healthier Lagos for all.”

Ajayi said the agency deliberately combined enforcement with education and support, noting that compliance improves when operators understand both the health and economic costs of environmental abuse.

“We are not just shutting down facilities; we are also helping operators comply,” he said, adding that “That is why we established a compliance desk to assist industries facing environmental regulation challenges and to provide practical solutions.”

He disclosed that LASEPA registered and accredited 153 e-waste and battery recyclers and collectors in 2025 as part of efforts to formalise the recycling sector and curb unsafe disposal practices.

On public health protection, Ajayi said the agency worked closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Health on water quality testing and sample analysis, a move aimed at early detection and prevention of cholera and other water-borne diseases.

“Environmental protection is inseparable from public health,” he said, saying that “Our surveillance and laboratory collaborations help the state respond proactively rather than reactively.”

The General Manager also pointed to capacity-building initiatives, including a mandatory sensitisation workshop for over 400 master bakers in collaboration with the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos chapter.

According to him, the programme addressed pollution, fire hazards and sanitation risks linked to bakery operations.