Kwara government on Thursday shut down the Mandate market in Ilorin due to non-compliance with its laws on environment.
The state commissioner for environment, Malam Shehu Usman, directed that the market should be shut down after several warnings to the market leaders, following violations of environmental laws.
In his words: “We decided to close the market after several meetings with market leaders and the Ministry in charge, on the need to strictly adhere to the environmental laws.
“They turned deaf ears to all our warnings and we still reminded them severally of the need to clean their environment and evacuate the refuse which may cause an outbreak of epidemic in the state.
“To our dismay, there is no compliance with the environmental laws and this warranted our action today.”
The Commissioner however said the action taken was enough warning to all other markets located in the state to desist from violating environmental laws.
He threatened that the Ministry would not have any option other than to close down erring markets.
Usman reiterated the commitment of the present administration in the state to sustain a clean and hygienic environment and ensure a healthy living for Kwara residents.
After several hours of closure, the market was however reopened, following the intervention of some stakeholders in the state.
We learnt that this was after the market leaders had promised to comply with environmental laws.
