Lagos State First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, called on market stakeholders in Lagos to be responsive and sensitive to security concerns in the state, saying that such was important to avert mishaps.
   
The First Lady who spoke at a one-day seminar organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) on ‘Market Sanitation, Security and Safety for Market Leaders,’ in Surulere, charged the market stakeholders to join the system of intelligence gathering by reporting any security threats to the appropriate channels for actions.
 
She said, “We have purposely included the security and safety of our markets as part of the topics in this seminar for obvious reasons that security is everybody’s business, and as market men and women as well as community leaders, we must be conscious of the need to make our security a priority. 
 
“When we see something, let us not only say something but do something to ensure that a potential security threat is nipped in the bud.”
 
Reiterating that there must be proper identification of all traders and people trading in the market, she said monitoring and evaluation of security activities in the market have to be a daily affair and also in every community.

“As market men and women, you must take ownership of security in your markets, and you have to speak up and speak out loud and clear when you suspect any suspicious movement or activity around you,” she charged them.
 
She urged them to be sensitive to prevent fire outbreaks in the markets. 
   
Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who is the Chairperson of COWLSO, said it was essential to reject unhygienic practices in their entirety including indiscriminate dumping of waste, blocking of drainages, and street trading, among others.
   
According to her, the seminar was in furtherance of efforts to ensure that market activities are conducted in a hygienic, safe, and secure environment.
 
She said the sensitisation was held in the necessity to ensure that market activities are conducted in line with international best practices, especially as they relate to sanitation, security, and safety.  
 
“The truth is that it is in our collective interest to imbibe international best practices in administering markets and our environment,” she said.
 
She mentioned that empirical evidence has shown that there is a nexus between the state of an environment and the health of residents in such an environment.
 
“Garbage in, Garbage out; it is the way you treat your environment that it responds to you. This is why hygiene in the market becomes extremely important, as all residents are connected one way or the other.
 
“We know that a lot of waste is generated from our markets and as market leaders, it is important that we must reject unhygienic practices in their entirety including indiscriminate dumping of waste, blocking of drainages, and street trading, among others.” 
   
In his address, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr. Bolaji Kayode Robert, said organising such a programme consistently over the years is proof that with the state’s efforts, making Lagos State a 21st Century Economy is possible.
   
“Much vigilance and attention must be paid even to the tiniest detail in our markets, so as to guarantee the safety of lives and properties. No doubt, security and sanitation remain vital issues in our society, especially in our markets,” he said.
 
The State’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, represented by Dr. Hassan Sanu, said with the space limitation of the state in face of teeming population, it was important for market stakeholders to conduct themselves responsibly, with conscious efforts to management of market sites.
 
The Managing Director, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, represented by Bola Adewunmi, appreciated the State Governor for the support in line with waste management. 
 
He called for proper waste sorting and management to make the waste-to-wealth system a reality in the State.