Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ogun State Waste Management Authority has shut down the Ijebu Mushin market in Ijebu East Local Government Area following repeated violations of environmental sanitation regulations, marking the latest enforcement action in the state’s zero-tolerance campaign against filthy markets. The closure, announced on Tuesday, came after traders persistently refused to patronise assigned Private Sector Participant operators for waste evacuation and continued to dump refuse indiscriminately within and around the market premises, even after the agency provided a Roll-On Roll-Off bin for proper disposal. The government’s decision underscores a growing impatience with market leaders who have ignored multiple warnings, despite the state’s heavy investment in waste management infrastructure and a declared policy of zero tolerance for improper waste disposal.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on OGWAMA, Honourable Farook Akintunde, who ordered the closure, expressed frustration at the traders’ conduct, noting that the agency had gone to considerable lengths to assist the market in maintaining cleanliness. According to Akintunde, OGWAMA had earlier carried out a large scale mechanical evacuation of accumulated waste heaps in the market and subsequently provided a Roll-On Roll-Off bin to facilitate easy disposal for all traders. However, the market leaders and traders allegedly refused to make use of the bin, preferring instead to dump their waste indiscriminately in the market surroundings. "To make their behaviour unacceptable, they refuse to patronise the PSP assigned to them for proper evacuation of their waste and prefer to dump their waste indiscriminately in the market," Akintunde was quoted as saying in a statement.
The official warned that the state government, through OGWAMA, would not fold its arms and watch a few traders jeopardise the health and well being of a flourishing town by operating in such a filthy environment. He stressed that the market would remain shut until proper sanitation measures were fully implemented in the interest of public health, and that failure to comply could lead to health risks, including contamination of goods and the spread of diseases. "Indiscriminate dumping will attract flies, contaminate goods and spread preventable diseases to the public," he said, calling on traders and their leaders to clean the whole market and inculcate the habit of using the bin instead of dumping waste indiscriminately.
The closure of the Ijebu Mushin market is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, sustained enforcement drive by the Ogun State Government against environmental infractions. The government has previously shut down markets in Sango Ota, Mowe and Ibafo areas of the state over uncleanliness, and has also sealed the popular Adatan Market in Abeokuta for environmental violations and illegal roadside trading. Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye, had recently declared a zero tolerance for improper waste disposal across the state, lamenting that people still dumped refuse on road medians and drainages despite the government's campaign against the practice. He maintained that the government had invested huge amounts of money on road infrastructure, adding that it was unfair for residents to deface these infrastructures with filth.
The recurring issue of poor sanitation in markets across Ogun State highlights a persistent challenge of behavioural change among traders and market leaders. Despite the provision of waste bins and the assignment of PSP operators, many markets continue to struggle with indiscriminate dumping, leading to environmental degradation and public health risks. The government has warned that it will continue to enforce environmental laws strictly, and that any market found guilty of improper waste disposal will be shut down in the overriding public interest. The Ogun State Waste Management Authority has called on 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.
As the Ijebu Mushin market remains shut, the government has made it clear that it will not tolerate actions that threaten public health, noting that unchecked waste dumping could attract disease carrying pests and contaminate goods sold to residents. The enforcement action serves as a warning to other markets across the state that the government is committed to maintaining a clean and hygienic environment at all times. The market will only be reopened once the traders have fully complied with the sanitation directives, including the proper evacuation of waste and the cessation of indiscriminate dumping. Until then, the government stands firm in its resolve to protect the health and well being of its citizens, even if it means shutting down commercial activities in the process.
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