The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has sealed several plazas, malls, and illegal market structures along the Ojuelegba axis and the adjoining Tejuosho Main Market over environmental violations.
The Head of Department for the Lagos/Badagry Axis, Bayo Mogaji, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the action followed repeated instances of indiscriminate waste disposal on roadways, medians, and other public spaces.
According to Mogaji, the agency had received multiple complaints from residents about “the habitual conversion of roadsides, drainage channels, and open spaces into refuse dumps—a practice that disfigures the cityscape, endangers public health, and increases flood risks.”
He quoted LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, as describing the indiscriminate disposal of waste as an affront to Lagos’ status as a megacity and a serious health hazard to residents.
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“The Ojuelegba–Tejuosho corridor, being one of Lagos’ most commercially vibrant and traffic-intensive zones, must not be allowed to descend into environmental anarchy under the pretext of commercial activity. This intervention is corrective in intent, aimed at restoring environmental order, civic discipline, and communal responsibility,” Mogaji said.
He added that the closure of affected premises would remain in effect until the corridor is fully cleared of waste and environmental compliance is achieved. LAWMA, in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps and other regulatory agencies, will continue surveillance and enforcement operations across markets, highways, and residential areas, warning that violators would face sanctions under the state’s environmental laws.
“Enforcement operations will remain continuous and uncompromising as long as a minority of residents, traders, and commuters persist in flouting the state’s environmental laws,” Mogaji said.