‘Indiscipline of traders responsible for the heap of waste, trading on the roadsides’

Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, told GBENGA SALAU the reasons for the heaps of refuse still found in markets as well as why traders move to the roads to display their wares.

In spite of government’s efforts such as the establishment of LAWMA , still, there are heaps of un-evacuated refuse in markets. Why is that so?
The attitude of our people towards the environment is not okay, but what we are doing is to sensitise them on the importance of a clean environment, especially the markets. Street and roadside trading have negative consequences such as littering the streets and being hit by a vehicle. All these hazards are there.

You must, however, know it is rampant in illegal markets as there are legal and illegal markets. The legal markets are well fenced and arranged but the illegal ones are with shanties including traders selling on the roads. But what we are doing now is to sensitise people to know what is right from what is wrong. This is despite the fact that they know what should be done.

Traders claim they are forced to pay waste collection fees, yet LAWMA often refuses to clear refuse in the markets. Why?
The issue of refuse management in Lagos is beyond when the population was below 20 million. United Kingdom (UK) generates 10 tons of refuse per day, with over 2000 contractors and trucks to manage it. But in Lagos, we generate 13 tones per day; with less than 300 trucks, but His Excellency the Governor is working now to ensure that we have the capacity to manage Lagos waste.

However, the Private Sector Participants (PSP) are doing their best at present, but again, it is about attitude of our people. The PSP operators are private individuals who bought trucks, fuel it and hire personnel.But traders are usually not forthcoming when it comes to paying the token expected to keep the PSPs working for them.

They feel everything should be free. The PSP operators are ready to work but the traders are usually not willing to pay. Our plea is that they should cooperate with the PSP operators by paying.

When people refuse to pay, how do you expect the person that used his money to buy truck, fuel it and pay his personnel to get back his investment? But the government is doing its best to ensure that everywhere is clean.

You spoke about illegal markets earlier, but it seems Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials have become collaborators in places where these illegal markets exist.
We are re-organising KAI, as directed by Governor Ambode. We want to have a new KAI. Very soon, you will see the Commissioner for Environment and I will unveil the new KAI uniform. The governor just appointed a new KAI Marshal General, Mr. Jimoh, a retired Police officer. So, we believe KAI will have not just a new face, but also a new attitude.

Some people have said the state government drove some of these traders to the roads because when their shops were rebuilt, the new rents were just too exorbitant.

That is not correct. Take the new Oyingbo Market built with billions of naira as example, after completion, it was allocated to traders, but they refused to take possession of the shops. As a result, the governor directed that the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs should look into the issue towards ensuring that the rent is reduced to what the people can afford, and that was done.

The rent was a token, but the attitude of our people and the belief that if they go into the shops, customers would not come have been a challenges. They still prefer the streets and roadsides. However, it is the duty of all those who know to enlighten these traders on why they should not sell by the road sides, and that no matter where the shop is located, they will be patronised.