The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) has ordered the closure of Ijebu-Mushin Market in Ijebu East Local Government Area following repeated violations of environmental sanitation regulations.
Announcing the decision, the Special Adviser to the Governor on OGWAMA, Farook Akintunde, said the shutdown became inevitable after market leaders and traders failed to comply with multiple directives aimed at maintaining a clean and hygienic trading environment.
According to Akintunde, authorities had issued several warnings against the indiscriminate dumping of waste within and around the market. However, traders allegedly ignored these directives and refused to engage the Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators assigned to handle proper waste evacuation.
“To make matters worse, they rejected the designated waste management system and continued to dispose of refuse indiscriminately across the market environment,” he said.
He further disclosed that OGWAMA had intervened by carrying out a large-scale cleanup through mechanical evacuation of accumulated waste.
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Following the exercise, the agency provided a Roll-On Roll-Off waste bin to facilitate proper disposal. Despite these measures, traders reportedly failed to utilize the facility and persisted in unsanitary practices.
Akintunde emphasized that the state government would not tolerate actions that threaten public health, noting that unchecked waste dumping could attract disease-carrying pests and contaminate goods sold to residents.
“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals endanger the health and well-being of an entire community by operating in such a filthy environment,” he stated.
He urged traders and market leaders to take immediate responsibility by thoroughly cleaning the market and adopting proper waste disposal habits, including consistent use of the provided bins.
The OGWAMA official warned that the market would remain closed until these conditions are met, stressing that the action was taken in the overriding interest of public health and safety.