The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA had again sealed up Farms City on Admiralty Way, Lekki and Ajah Quilox Pool and Bar in Ajah area of the State for contravening different sections of the State Environmental Law and also constituting a setback to the State Government’s efforts to flatten the curve of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The enforcement exercise which was carried out in the late hours of Saturday and early hours of Sunday along the Lekki-Ajah axis of the State, was led by the Special Assistant to the General Manager, Dr Adebola Odunsi and the Director, Enforcement, Compliance and Monitoring, Mr Kayode Belo, wherein two other entertainment and restaurant outlets namely Page One in Ajah and Bien Mange in Abraham Adesanya Estate were also sealed.
While the former was sealed operating a Beer Parlor and encouraging large gathering, the latter facility located at 9B Dan Suleiman crescent, Abraham Adesanya was sealed for illegally converting a residential building for commercial purposes and operating in an unfriendly environment whereby constituting environmental nuisance to other residents of the area.
Speaking after the enforcement exercise, the General Manager, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe disclosed that the action by the Agency was in line with the Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017 which mandated the Agency to work on Land, Air, and Water to address environmental violations that could pose a threat to the wellbeing of Lagosians and affect the environmental sustainability drive of the State government.
Describing the development at Farms City as quite unfortunate, she said “The agency acted on tip from a whistle blower, alleging traffic congestion, flagrant disobedience of the environmental laws (public smoking and noise pollution) as well as non-compliance of the COVID -19 safety protocols.
Upon arrival, the team noticed several infractions and identified same to the management, which led to clearing out the fun seekers and shutting down the facility pending full investigations.”
According to her, the operation of LASEPA was aimed at identifying environmental violations across the various facilities visited, but could not afford to ignore the level of non-compliance to covid-19 protocols in all the sealed facilities.
Enumerating further that all the sealed facilities were cut in the act, disregarding the directive of Mr Governor on the use of the face mask, social gathering and 10pm curfew, she said their activities remain illegal and unpermitted under the State’s guidelines on combating COVID-19 outbreak.
“All offenders, including facilities, event planners, organizers and promoters would face stern repercussions as consequences for their nonchalant engagement.
” Apart from the environmental contravention observed in some of the facilities visited, we saw clearly that there were so many other pressing issues that needed to be handled and as such we’re happy that all other relevant MDAs such as the Lagos State Safety Commission,(LSSC), the Rapid Response Square, (RRS) Lagos State Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA) and the Lagos State Task Force are in sync in ensuring that the position of the Government in flattening the curve is sustained in order to reduce the number of positive cases to the pandemic as soon as possible” she asserted.
Citing the instance of the Restaurant and Bar located in a residential area in Abraham Adesanya Estate, she averred that such development would be constituting nuisances to other residents within the Estate through noise pollution and discharge of waste materials into drainages.
She, however, informed all residents of the State, that the relaxation of the lockdown did not give levity to engage in activities that would accelerate the spread of Covid-19, stressing that the Agency is committed to enforcing the highest levels of compliance with social distancing laws and directives of the State Governor.
