The Lagos State government will no longer tolerate the activities of pipeline vandals, the General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Adebola Shabi, has said.
Speaking to Neighbourhood Watchers (NW) and Baales at a stakeholders’summit on oil pollution of water bodies in the state, he said the government would no longer watch while “respected community leaders turned their eyes off evils in the society”.
The hard stance, he said, is necessary to protect lives as the result of oil seepage is devastating not only to the people, but to the flora and fauna of the affected community.
He said the spillage being noticed at Awori Bus Stop, Abule Egba, is corrosive to the environment and may have very negative effect on the people.
He blamed the NW whose mandate is to watch all government properties including pipelines and the Baales, in whose domain most of these facilities are located, for “turning the blind eyes” against the wrongs done to the economy by the activities of vandals.
He said: “It is no longer acceptable that a Baale, who is expected to be in charge of his community, and help the government in keeping the peace of the community, would be inflicting more damages by aiding vandals in stealing from ruptured pipelines.”
The meeting was attended by top officials of LASEPA, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the council of Baale’s of the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), environmentalists, sanitation experts and NWs and residents.
The LASEPA chief said it was worrisome that most residents at Awori Bus Stop are now suffering from oil seepage into the underground water body, which arose as a result of indiscriminate stealing of the nation’s resource by the thieves thereby contaminating their wells or borehole water.
He said: “Everyone, especially the Baales have a responsibility to protect the NNPC Pipelines and other national property against vandals and economic saboteurs. Let us, therefore, join hands with the government to protect these resources as they belong to all Nigerians.”
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), at the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) General Manager, Dele Dawodu, an engineer, said time has come for Nigerians to report vandals because their activities is already heating up the polity.
He appealed to parents to warn their wards against involvement in the illegal activity and urged the government to take the policing of the pipelines more serious.
NOSDRA Zonal Director, Olayinka Okunubi, urged those living within the pipeline right of way to report any illegal activity to the police and contact her office anytime leakages are noticed.
The Council’s Sole Administrator, Dr Waleeh Ipaye, said the pollution of the environment by Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as Petrol as a result of vandalism, particularly at Awori Bus Stop area of Abule Egba, has become worrisome not only to those affected, but to the government.
Recalling that such acts had, in 2006, caused the deaths of hundreds of residents of the area, Ipaye said the seepage caused by activities of the vandals is so devastating that “almost all residents of Abule Egba have no access to good water, as a result of the contamination of all the wells and boreholes by PMS.”
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has sealed off Sporta Suites Hotel and Restaurant in Magodo, Lagos, for alleged non-compliance with environmental laws.
The hotel was part of the 70 of such facilities that were sealed off as a result of noise pollution allegations levelled against them.
Also sealed were about 13 religious houses and a plastic recycling company located in different parts of the state on account of noise and air pollution.
LASEPA’s General Manager, Rasheed Adebola Shabi said the exercise was part of an ongoing war against noise and air pollution in Lagos State.
He said over 70 churches, 25 mosques and 11 nightclubs have already been pencilled down to be sealed by the agency during the exercise.
The facilities, Shabi said, were sealed off for allegedly not complying fully with the agency’s instruction on noise and air pollution, saying the enforcement was carried out after several warnings by the agency to the owners to abate the pollution were not heeded to.
Shabi said LASEPA doesn’t seal off people’s property or facilities indiscriminately. He noted that before sealing off someone’s property, the agency must have given several warnings and failure to yield or comply with the warnings results in sealing off such property.
Air and noise pollution/emissions, Shabi said, are parts of what the agency is kicking against.
He said before any operation, residents of the area must have variously written petitions on the impact of noise pollution from places of worship, commercial bus drivers and those who use loud speakers while selling their wares.
Shabi said research by LASEPA in the last two to three years, revealed that most of the religious houses do not have Lagos State approval to operate, adding that most hotels and club houses also do not have fiscal planning approval.
“Before you can build any hotel anywhere in the world, there must be an environmental impact assessment.
“There are people using trucks to sell their products with speakers to disturb the peace of Lagosians. Soon, we will begin to tow these trucks to get them off the streets,” he said.
He added that Lagosians needed to live in peace and LASEPA would continue to fight for the peace of residents of Lagos.
He further said the defaulters would be fined and compelled to sign an undertaking or put in place an action plan to forestall a recurrence, before the facilities would be unsealed.
The operation took place in areas such as Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Meiran, Ogba, Aguda and Magodo, among others.
Some of the affected churches included Celestial Church of Christ, (Ebenezer Parish), Abule Titun, Alakuko, Solution Life Ministry, Ogba, Aguda, Zoe Ministries Worldwide, Ojodu and The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Akiode.
The Lagos State Government last week shut down 70 churches, 20 mosques, 11 hotels, club houses and beer parlours in a bid to reduce noise in the state.
The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Bola Shabi, disclosed this.
He said that henceforth the state government would no longer allow make-shift buildings to be used as places of worship.
Shabi said: “Precisely about 70 churches, 20 mosques and about 11 hotels, club houses and beer parlours were shut and we’ve given them some directives to follow.
“We’ve been so strict now that we are not going to even allow make-shift churches in the state any longer.
“What I mean by make-shift, using tents and uncompleted building, we are not going to allow that any further in the state.”
Shabi added that his agency’s goal is to reduce noise in the state to 70 percent this year and to zero percent by the year 2020.
“As at today, we are only able to reduce the noise level to about 35 per cent. That is not a pass mark yet.
“So, until we reach that target of 70 to 80 per cent, we will continue the enforcement. Enforcement is a continuous exercise and we have set a target for ourselves.
“We want to ensure that Lagos is noise-free by the year 2020. With our status as a mega city by year 2020 we will be free of noise,’’ he said.
The Ogun State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Bolaji Oyeleye, has urged residents not to worry about environmental pollution from industrial waste. He spoke with The Nation at 2016 Ogun Investor’s Forum in Abeokuta.
According to Oyeleye, the state has in place relevant agencies that are saddled with the responsibilities of taking care of the environment, and also monitoring of companies operating in the state.
“We have an agency known as the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) which has the responsibility of making sure that environmental standards are adhered to in terms of emission, waste management and the operations of these companies. So, we are very much committed in that respect and we are doing what we are supposed to do in terms of monitoring the activities of these companies,” he explained.
One of the set standards for companies borders on regulation of industrial emission and effluent. For instance, the Commissioner disclosed that his ministry go against companies that do not have waste treatment plants (WTP). This is to ensure that set standards that ought to be followed before discharging effluents into the environment. Companies that have not provided these facilities within their business premises, he explained, are being encouraged to do so.
Besides, at the onset, when industries come to set up their industries in the state, Oyeleye explained, they were requested to put up road furniture which includes trees and light in their areas of operations.
The Commissioner admitted that alongside industrialisation comes the challenge to preserve nature. This, he said, is why the state encourages and participate actively in the establishment of parks in the state and also encourage people to plant trees. He said that there is a lot of advocacy going into tree planting in the state to ensure that the ecosystem is well preserved.
“Basically, people will be encouraged to replace and replenish some the trees that will have to go to make way for the industries and development generally. This is why on daily basis people are enlightened on the need to encourage and ensure greenery around them,” Oyeleye explained.
He said the state is compliant to the COP 21 programme- a global programme on climate change, because issues of environment are very much encouraged even at the highest level of governance in the state. This explains why the state had a delegation led by the governor, Ibikunle Amosun, to the COP21 programme in France last year.
At the event, he said, the state was able to promote one of her programmes which centers on reforestation of 180,000 hectares of land in the state.
The federal government has said it would henceforth hold oil companies accountable for pollution in any community in the Niger Delta region.
The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, spoke in Yenagoa, according to a statement signed by Mr. Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seriake Dickson, of Bayelsa State.
Mohammed said her visit to Bayelsa was in fulfillment of the campaign promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari on the cleanup of the Niger Delta.
She said her ministry would soon commence the cleanup of Ogoni land and the rest of the Niger Delta region.
She said her ministry was working to initiate a policy to make oil companies accountable to pollution in their areas of operation.
The minister promised that measures would be adopted to ensure that the environment remained clean.
Mohammed said, part of her ministry’s mandate involved seeking alternative livelihoods for the youths in the Niger Delta, through the diversification policy of the Federal Government.
She said her ministry would also devise ways of ending gas flaring by channeling flared gas it into economic use to guarantee sustainable development.
She said: “The cleanup also has to bring dividends to the people, so we hope that, whatever work that, comes out of it in terms of the clean up, we hope that it is one that will benefit first the people of the Niger Delta.
“And, then we are very keen over the concerns that we have over the issues that have caused pollution over the past that we do hold the oil companies to account and that the polluter pays policy is firmly entrenched, so that there are resources for this to happen.”
In his remarks, the statement quoted Dickson as urging the Federal Ministry of Environment to convene a stakeholders meeting involving the government, community leaders, youths, security agencies and oil companies to address lapses in the operations of multi-national oil companies in the Niger Delta.
Dickson said: “You really can’t know the Niger Delta until you have visited Bayelsa. This is the epicenter of the Niger Delta with all of its blessings, prospects and challenges. I am delighted that the Federal government through this visit is indicating seriousness.
“It is a huge problem, but these issues for those of us who are living with them daily; these issues go beyond promises, conferences, talk shops and beautiful press statements and so it is our hope and belief that, this move is real and that this signals a genuine commitment to addressing these monumental problems that have accumulated for decades. “
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) says it has sealed more than 28 hotels due to non-compliance with the environmental laws of the state.
Mr. Adebola Shabi, the General Manager of LASEPA, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
“We just don’t go about sealing indiscriminately, we give warning and failure to comply, ends with a sealing of such property.
“We have standard laws on pollution — noise and air emissions are part of such pollution.”
He said the defaulters would be compelled to sign an undertaking or put in place an action plan to forestall a recurrence, before the facilities would be unsealed.
The Lagos State Government on Saturday sealed off the popular Marina workers’ mosque over pollution resulting from improper disposal of sewage in the worship centre located in the highbrow Lagos Business District.
The state’s Commissioner for environment, Dr Samuel Adejare, who gave the order while monitoring the October edition of the monthly environmental sanitation at the Lagos Mainland Local Government said the state government has declared a state of emergency on environmental nuisance across the state.
Adejare warned market leaders, drivers and residents against improper waste disposal, explaining that the workers mosque was sealed off for discharging sewage into the drainage channel.
Looking visibly enraged, the commissioner disclosed that the government has established a special command within the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) to ensure a cleaner environment in the Central Business District.
He added that the declaration of zero tolerance in Lagos metropolis was to save the state from disaster resulting from unkempt environment, noting that all hands must be on deck to maintain and sustain a healthier environment for residents.
He said: “Marina is our pride, asset and our heritage and we cannot allow anyone to mess it up. This mosque is a temporary building for worship, but we cannot tolerate improper waste disposal. There is no emotional thing attached to it. I have told them to close down the place.”
The Association of Water Drillers and Rig-owners Practitioners (AWDROP) has announced its resolve to monitor government projects across the country to raise the quality of water being produced for consumption.
The association’s National President, Mr. Michael Ale, revealed this during a press conference organised for borehole drillers at Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“Many boreholes drilled in Nigeria by non-professionals have contaminated our most precious underground resources, thus resulting in illness for many innocent Nigerians.
“Failure to coordinate activities of borehole drilling in Nigeria through non-implementation of regulatory instrument, encouraged uncoordinated pricing and use of substandard materials to the disadvantage of unsuspecting and ill-informed customers, Ale said.
He continued: “The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, with the assistance of many stakeholders, including Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has put up code of practice for borehole drilling in Nigeria and the document remains the valid guiding code for drilling companies in Nigeria.
“AWDROP accepted the adoption of the implementation of the code for drilling companies, thus setting standard for their operation.’’
Ale emphasised the need to implement the practice to avoid unnecessary waste of scarce resources over several moribund boreholes lingering the country, noting that “several government’s borehole projects have failed because of weak supervision and non-implementation of the code of practice by the contracting agent”.
The AWDROP President noted: “The implementation of code of practice for all borehole operators was important for sustainable quality water provision in Nigeria. There is the need to partner with all stakeholders involved in drilling practices to imbibe the culture and practice of good design and safety during operation.”
He reiterated that all boreholes being contracted out by the development partners and government alike would, henceforth, be monitored by AWDROP task force on code of practice for efficient and effective supervision, as borehole is not only about drilling or contracting but designed for good safety and health impact and proper handing over.
Ale maintained that several borehole projects by the development partners and government alike have failed in the past but with the implementation of the code of practice document, borehole projects are set to come alive again.ý
In view of this, two new buses have been donated by the association to strengthen the national task force as ratified by the national council of water resources during the last council meeting in Kaduna.
Acoustics experts have warned that unless the government enforces laws that will prevent noise pollution, many individuals may become deaf. CHINAKA OKORO and WALE ADEPOJU write that the government should establish a monitoring team in the Ministry of the Environment to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws.
Noise is our enemy. It is not only loud enemy of our ears; it is also an enemy to the environment as it pollutes our surroundings. Constant exposure to loud noise, experts say, affects our auditory system; especially when it is above the normal 85 decibels (dBs). Noise above the normal decibels is capable of perforating our ear membranes which can result in temporary hearing loss.
There are many individuals who suffer from aural disorders caused by noise pollution. This disorder apparently manifests in the damage of the auricle as an initial sign.
Experts contend that noise is one of the most dangerous and silent environmental pollutions as its effects on human body system could lead to death.
•Horn speakers used by churches, mosques and music sellers
Mindful of the health hazards associated with noise, the Lagos State Government has come down hard on some sources of noise pollution. This it did by closing or sealing off some churches and mosques from which deafening noises emanate. Such are worship centres that use ahuja speakers to conduct their services.
Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) have been receiving no fewer than 50 telephone calls and 20 text messages daily about noise, mostly emanating from churches that use horn speakers in residential areas.
Recently, the agency shut down some places of worship after series of complaints from residents, whose lives have been affected by ceaseless noise. The state could not have done anything less as the problem has become a recurring issue.
Head, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Adebola Shabi who said “the environment was critical to the lives of the citizens”, noted that “the need to effect a reduction in the level of noise generated by churches, mosques, music centres and others became necessary because noise could be dangerous to human health as it leads to impaired hearing capability.”
Continuing, he said: “We have sealed off about 55 premises because the last enforcement we carried out, 33 premises were sealed off. “I gave approval for the closure of 22 premises later, making a total of 55 premises so far sealed off.
Noise pollution is a problem many are grappling with in Lagos. The blaring from record sellers, hooting from commercial bus operators and loud music from hawking vans, especially local herbs sellers as well as loud noise from worship centres are some of the pollutants which have given Lagos the noisy city tag.
“In the next five years, if there is no stringent policy on location of religious houses, there will be so many problems.”
The LASEPA boss said the sealed churches would be allowed to re-open after paying fines ranging from N50, 000 and above.
Director of Clinical Services and Training (DCST), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Ayoade Adedokun said the state, which is densely populated, is trying hard to ensure that the environment is protected against unwanted noise.
“So, the step taken by the government is a laudable one. Reducing noise pollution should be everybody’s responsibility. It should not be left for government alone,” he said.
Dr Adedokun said noise pollution is not limited to the streets alone as many are suffering from hearing loss because of the kind of jobs they do.
Head, Eye, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Dr Vincent A. Adekoya said noise is the frequency or intensity of sound level when above 80-90 decibels, which is deleterious to the ear.
“Noise pollution is a hallmark of all developing and industrialising countries. It creates a situation where able-bodied men work in industries with heavy-duty machines and are exposed to a noise level above 80-90 decibels for over eight hours a day,” he said.
Dr. Adekoya said the above situation leads to social acusis, which is a condition where the individual has become used to accumulative noise. This invariably constitutes either temporary noise-induced threshold shift or noise-induced permanent threshold shift.
Dr Adekoya
Noting that the ear is not just for hearing but also for maintaining body balance, Dr Adekoya said temporary noise-induced threshold could be cured while noise-induced permanent threshold shift cannot be cured.
Some people, he said, can come down with hearing loss due to ear trauma, which can occur when people’s ears are exposed to more than 80 or 90 decibels of noise or sound.
“This kind of hearing loss is common among factory workers where obsolete heavy equipment or machines are used. These tools produce loud noises which affect people’s hearing,” Adekoya said.
Related to this, he said, is exposure to acoustic trauma which he said results from sudden noise due to explosion and which causes the perforation of the ear membrane.
“Acute acoustic trauma caused by single intensive sound can perforate the ear membrane; causing either conservative or surgical aural situation,” he said, adding that “ conservative aural impairment is a situation when the perforated or damaged ear membrane does not heal on its own, which is a factor of either small or huge perforation or damage.”
Classifying hearing into normal and abnormal, Dr Adekoya said: “If it is abnormal, it is mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound. People are not categorised as ‘deaf’ unless the state of their hearing loss has become profound.”
He further explained: “Normal hearing level is 0-25 decibels; mild hearing loss is from 26-40 decibels, moderate hearing loss is from 41-55 decibels and moderately severe hearing loss is from 56-70 decibels. Severe hearing loss starts from 71-90 decibels and profound hearing loss is greater than 90 decibels. This is a situation in which an individual could be referred to as a deaf person.”
Excessive noise above 80 decibels, he said, can cause harm to the ear and as such causes deafness. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by outside (e.g. trains) or inside (e.g. music) noise.
Deafness, he said, can be mild, profound or severe, adding that people who come down with the latter can be restored with an amplifier or microphone inserted into their ears. But if this cannot address their problem, they may have a cochlear implantation.
The causes of hearing loss, he said, are congenital. This means that the person was born with it. Others are caused by infections such as mumps and measles as well as drugs.
But how would the loud enemies of our ears be permanently curbed? Again, how would government sustain the tempo in its quest to curtail noise pollution? We believe that the bold move to reduce noise pollution which the government has started would be sustained through the establishment, in the state’s Ministry of the Environment, of a strong monitoring team to ensure strict compliance to environmental laws.
For Dr Adekoya, the most effective methods of preventing noise pollution and aural damage are through what he called ear conservation programme, hazard identification and engineering control, among others.
The ENT expert also said the problem could be prevented if expectant mothers attend complete ante-natal programmes as well as delivered of their babies at good health facilities.
Advising that audiometric tests should be made compulsory to determine the level of ear damage in an individual, Dr Adekoya urged factory owners to “carry out audiometric tests for their staff once a year in order to check hyper acusis.”
He said high noise levels can contribute to negative cardiovascular effects in man and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease.
He urged the Federal Government to put in place a policy that will help in minimising noise in public places, especially in residential areas.
An undergraduate at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Mr Aliu Muraina said shutting down of noisy churches and other places of worship was a welcome development.
He said there is too much of noise pollution not only in Lagos but also in Nigeria as a whole.
“Some people should not be suffering from excessive noise because it would affect their health. Anything that would affect the environment should be controlled,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “Government should not only evolve environmental laws but should also enforce them. It should ensure that churches and mosques do not make use of loud speakers to transmit their teachings. Those who sell music should be forced to reduce the volume of their speakers while sampling pieces of music for sale.
“Poor urban planning may also give rise to noise pollution. This is because locating industrial areas and religious buildings in residential zones can result in noise pollution,” he said.
However, Mrs Ijeoma Olatunbosun, a lawyer, said the shutting down of some noisy worship centres was not right.
She said: “This is uncalled for. I have read the papers and I did not see or hear that necessary notices were issued to them on this matter. Besides, I am not aware that there are laws covering where places of worship should be located in Lagos State or Nigeria as a whole.
“Also, before churches are built in any location, approved building plans are usually given before such can be built or set up. The government is also giving the approval for where to locate these churches or places of worship. So, what are we saying?”
Continuing, she said: “Regarding the N50, 000 or more the government is collecting as fine; I would like to know if it is to make the churches noise-proof or to stop them from having their services?”
The Lagos State government has said its war on pollution remains on course. It said the campaign will not respect any race, creed or religion, in its efforts to enthrone a safe environment.
The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA),Adebola Rasheed Shabi, who spoke duriing a public enlightenment campaign for auto mechanics, at the Mega Auto Part Accessories Traders Association (MAPATA) office at Ojuelegba branch, reiterated government’s zero tolerance on pollution.
He said all flouters of its laws on pollution should be ready to face the full wrath of the law.
Educating MAPATA members on all the forms of pollution barred by the government, the LASEPA chief said they range from air, noise, soil to underground pollution caused by indiscriminate disposal of used oil.
He also spoke on the law restricting public smoking.
Shabi said the approved noise level in the state during the day is 55 decibel, while night time noise level is 45 decibel.
He said these laws were enacted to promote public health and well-being, adding that the hazards inherent in noise pollution include insomnia, depression, partial or full deafness and high blood pressure, among others.
Shabi said underground pollution of water bodies could lead to untimely death through terminal diseases. It could also come through the consumption of contaminated fish and marine foods by spent oil indiscriminately disposed into the drains, which finds its way into the sea.
He said such could cause terminal diseases.
The agency, he said, is not happy closing down firms, worship centres and others, but that noise level allowed by the state must be adhered to for the well-being of other residents.
He, therefore, urged members of the association to key into the government’s vision of a cleaner environment for all residents.
Shabi, while speaking on the restriction on public smoking, said, the law forbids smoking in public. He urged the association to have designated areas for smokers, saying it is a crime to smoke and disturb non-smokers.
Responding, MAPATA Chairman Gozie Nweze, thanked the agency, promising to spread the non pollution gospel to all its members. He said the association will do all it could to key into the state’s vision on environment.
