Kwara Govt Warns Traders Against Environmental Pollution

The Kwara State government in its continued stride to ensure a clean and green environment, has warned traders against environmental pollution and indiscriminate dumping of refuse in markets to safe guard the health and wellness of citizens.

The Acting General Manager of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), Hajia Idayat Folorunsho, stated this during the weekly routine environmental exercise in major markets within Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

This is contained in a statement by Aliyu Jamiu Amode, Press Secretary, KWEPA and made available to the newsmen in Ilorin.

Hajia Folorunsho, who noted the State government’s efforts at ensuring a clean and healthy environment, insisted that such efforts should be complemented by traders through consistent sanitary measures and proper evacuation of wastes in the markets.

Hajia Folorunsho, represented by the Chief Environmental Officer, Alhaji Yunusa Jida, who led other staff of the Agency to some markets in Ilorin, re-echoed the sensitivity of the markets as a meeting point where everybody depends to source for their food stuffs and other groceries, hence, keeping the markets clean was important to prevent the outbreak of diseases.

She reiterated that, indiscriminate dumping of refuse around the market areas, and other environmental vices capable of inviting flies and other pests should be shunned to curb the upsurge of pandemic and other preventable diseases.

Folorunsho, however, stressed that it was mandatory for all traders and shop owners to observe the Thursday weekly market environmental sanitation from 7:00 am to 10:00 am as directed by the State Ministry of Environment, warning that contraventions of the State environmental laws would attract appropriate sanctions.

The KWEPA team which visited markets like, Itamadu, Maraba, Ipata and Oja-oba, inspected the environmental sanitation exercise in the markets and ensured environmental laws were obeyed.

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