Traders, who arrived this (Monday) morning at these markets, were taken aback as they discovered that their access had been denied by officials of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA.

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According to information gathered by Vanguard, the electronics section, fancy section, and furniture section in Alaba International Market were the areas sealed by LAWMA.

The thriving Trade Fair Market was not exempt from these actions. According to traders, the market was sealed late yesterday. A salesperson, who simply identified herself as Gift, spoke to Vanguard.

She said: “Yesterday they were at the gate sealing the market. I never knew they were sealing it in preparation for today.

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“I even recorded a video and sent it to our platform, but no one responded until today when everyone was kept outside.”

Additionally, another source revealed that although no notice was served, “a section like Balogun in the Trade Fair Market was reported to be very dirty.

“But not all sections of the market are in the same state of disarray,” she said.

Why we sealed Alaba Market — Govt

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Meanwhile, LAWMA has reacted via their official X page, formerly known as Twitter.

The government agency said: “The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), in conjunction with the Lagos State Task Force and @LAGESCOfficial, has sealed Alaba International Market over environmental offenses.

“Officials of LAWMA, LAGESC, and Lagos State Task Force carried out the enforcement on Monday on the directive of the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab.

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“The market was found to be in contravention of several key waste management guidelines, such as indiscriminate waste disposal, absence of designated waste points, lack of waste receptacles for proper containment, as well as an unsatisfactory state of drainage systems.

“Despite repeated notices urging compliance with these regulations, the market authorities failed to take corrective action, prompting the sealing today.”

Vanguard