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Following the notice by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to close the Ladipo and Onyigbo markets on September 22, 2022 over waste management infractions, the leadership of People of South East Region (POSER), Lagos, moved swiftly to save the situation.
POSER quickly went into strategic engagement and environmental diplomacy, which averted what would have been a major crisis in Lagos State and the trading community.
Ladipo remains the biggest market for fairly used auto spare parts in Nigeria and the West African sub-region with the market raking in over N3 billion as daily turnover.
Proximity of the market and its accessories make waste management a major challenge, which resulted in placement of the market in close watch by LAWMA and Lagos State Ministry of Environment.
Thus, the recent notice of closure heightened tension in the market until the intervention of POSER and other stakeholders that have brought relative peace back to the market and its environs.
Speaking to newsmen after the supervision of the Ladipo market environment and level of compliance to the resolutions reached during their meeting with the MD of LAWMA, the President of POSER, Lagos, Chief Everest Ozonweke expressed happiness over what the leadership of the market and their environmental committee have done with regards to the sanitation in the market.
Ozonweke said that when he saw the threat to close the Ladipo market by LAWMA and “knowing the adverse effect it will have on our people and Lagos in general, we immediately put our intervention machineries in motion to avert such situation.
“I sincerely thank the MD of LAWMA for giving Ladipo market a second chance based on resolutions reached during our intervention meeting with LAWMA.
“First, the team of POSER headed by the global leader, Amb. Philip Obuesi and Lagos State President, Chief Everest Ozonweke visited Ladipo market for fact-finding and on the spot assessment after which we arranged a meeting with the LAWMA MD, Mr Ibrahim Adejuwon Odumboni at his Ijora office.
“The meeting offered us the opportunity to look into the concerns of LAWMA with regards to environmental status of the market, indiscriminate waste disposal, cleaning of the canal with special emphasis on Matori area of the market and prompt payment of their service bills.”
According to him, the Ladipo Market Environmental Committee Chairman, Mr Nonso Chiufo expressed concern over LAWMA service delivery, explaining that many of the sections in the market have resorted to self help in evacuation of their wastes because LAWMA services have been epileptic for months, which forced the section heads to look for alternative ways to evacuate their wastes.
The committee chairman, he said, also expressed sadness over the unavailability of dumping bins as Ladipo has only two dumping bins in the whole market instead of the initial four proposed by LAWMA, adding that he promised that prompt payment will be made as soon as they reconcile their account with LAWMA.
“The LAWMA MD while requesting for proper channel of information promised to take immediate action to address their concerns, warning that severe consequences await defaulters.
“The President of Ladipo market, Hon. Jude Nwankwo assured the LAWMA MD that waste disposal infractions in the market has come to an end as his team will be taking proactive measures to make sure that Ladipo market’s level of compliance will be acceptable to LAWMA,” Ozonweke said, adding that the MD promised to personally visit Ladipo market to see things for himself.
He disclosed that the LAWMA taskforce did on the spot assessment of the environmental sanitation of the market and commended the market leadership for a good job while encouraging them to sustain the tempo.
