Lagos State Government, yesterday issued quit notice to street traders and hawkers in the state.
Commissioner for Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, who gave the warning, said the measure became necessary following the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in some parts of the country and Lagos in particular, as well as the coming rainy season.
Adejare said street traders were not only degrading the state’s environment in total disregard to extant laws, but engaging in armed robbery, child abuse, and compounding the traffic gridlocks and vandalising valuable infrastructure in the state.
According to him, the state government had given the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Brigade and the Task Force, assisted by other law enforcement agencies, the directive to clamp down on all violators of its environmental laws.
He lamented: “It is regrettable that the illegal hawkers and street traders have not heeded the enlightenment and advocacy messages from the ministry on the need to keep the state’s environment clean and safe to attract more investors and boost the economy of the state.”
Adejare explained that all the agencies of the ministry, the Private Sector Participant, PSP, operators and non-governmental partners, had been fully mobilized with men and equipment to ensure a 24-hour monitoring and enforcement for a sustainable environment.
“To halt the spread of Lassa fever, Lagosians must maintain personal hygiene, proper sanitation in their environment, especially, clean-up of the vegetation in their premises, and proper bagging and disposal of waste to keep off the wild vector rats spreading the virus,” Adejare said.
He advised residents experiencing symptoms of headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain to seek the medical help immediately.
