Governor Ambode:

Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government has restated its policy of zero tolerance on street trading and hawking in the state, warning violators of the state’s environmental laws to desist or incur the wrath of law enforcement agencies.

Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Thursday that state’s environmental laws did not permit anyone to convert the roads, medians, set-backs and walkways into markets.

He lamented that the activities of the illegal street traders were degrading the environment and valuable infrastructures put in place with tax payers’ money.

“It is regrettable that some illegal traders had not heeded the enlightenment and advocacy messages of the Public Affairs and Advocacy teams of the Ministry,” he said, warning that his ministry was now more determined to implement the state government’s policy of keeping its environment clean and safe enough to attract investors and boost the economy of the state.

He said: “A lot of funds had been spent on environmental regeneration to improve the aesthetics of the state, regretting however, that street traders and hawkers have been found to be responsible for the vandalisation and defacing of some of the parks and gardens”

Adejare said that street trading and hawking had resulted in the menace of child abuse, traffic gridlocks, untimely and avoidable loss of lives, destitution, promotion of crimes like armed robberies and defacing the environment with litters and consequently blocked drainages.

The Commissioner disclosed that the State Government has given the KAI Brigade, assisted by other law enforcement agencies and the Task Force, the marching order to effectively clamp down on all violators of its environmental laws, especially hawking and street trading.