LAGESC Creates Taskforce To Eradicate Street Trading 

By Felix Kuyinu

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, has set up a taskforce team to eradicate street trading in the metropolis.

The agency disclosed that there is need to set up the disciplinary team due to the persistent street trading put up by the residents as well as ensuring normalcy at roadsides.

Olaniyi Cole, Corps Marshal, LAGESC, during an interactive session at a stakeholder engagement session with representatives from the Lagos Central Senatorial District, said that the taskforce team will actively patrol the streets of Lagos to enforce the state’s strict ban against roadside trading in line with environmental laws.

According to the agency’s head, the move is imperative to ensure that spaces in the streets of Lagos are used appropriately.

Cole, at the session, said, “Street trading and hawking remain banned, and we are taking significant steps to enforce these laws across every nook and cranny of Lagos.

“A special taskforce team will go around to make sure the ban is enforced. We have been conducting regular enforcement activities, particularly focusing on the state’s pedestrian bridges and the efforts have led to the arrest and prosecution of numerous miscreants who had taken over the bridges, deterring their use by the general public.

“Cleaning up these bridges is part of a broader strategy to reclaim public spaces for the safety and benefit of Lagosians.

“Environmental sanitation is critical in our daily life. It plays a huge role and it is essential for the well-being and livelihood of the community.”

He added, “The responsibility for maintaining a clean environment does not rest solely with the government alone. It is a collective duty that requires the active participation of all citizens.

“A cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Lagos is a goal that can only be achieved with the cooperation of every resident.

“The residents also need to be vigilant and proactive in reporting any waste-related issues and the activities of individuals who contribute to environmental degradation. We need the community’s help in identifying and reporting those who are involved in unwholesome practices that harm our environment.”