Ogun State Government has warned traders against trading on streets and walkways, saying such attitude would no longer be tolerated.
The Government was described as barbaric, the way some traders take over almost half of the road to display their wares.
According to the reports, aside from causing unnecessary traffic gridlock in the areas affected, the Ogun State government expressed concern that there could be loss of lives if a vehicle lost country and rammed into the roadside traders.
On Thursday, environmental health officers were sent out by Governor Dapo Abiodun-led government to ensure compliance with environmental laws across the State.
Leading a team of environmental health officers to the Sango and Ifo areas of the state, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Hon. Farouk Akintunde, enlightened the traders on the dangers of street trading, particularly on the median strip.
Akintunde noted that “the traders are endangering their lives,” saying “they sometimes cause traffic bottleneck, thereby making life intolerable for commuters.”
The aide of the Governor maintained that “Ogun is an investment hub and the ambiance of its environment is important in attracting investors to the State,” stressing that “government would no longer fold its hands while traders deface the environment.”
In his words, the Director of Environmental Health, Sanitarian Wemimo Onaeko noted that the enforcement of compliance with environmental laws should not be seen as the government’s plan to make life difficult for anyone.
Instead, Onaeko stated that the government was after the welfare of the people, pleading with citizens to make sanitation an integral part of their lives so as to prevent any outbreak of diseases.
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