Corps members sensitise traders against environmental pollution

Corps-members-during-the-walk

Members of the Editorial and Publicity Community Development Service (CDS), of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Lagos State, on Thursday, visited the Idiaraba/Obele Market, in Mushin area of the state, to carry out an environmental sanitation exercise, as well as to sensitise traders on the need to keep a cleaner environment.

Tagged: “Walk Against Environmental Pollution,” the corps members who took-off from the NYSC Secretariat, in Surulere, said the project was a Corpers Social Responsibility (CSR), organised in collaboration with Airtel Nigeria, Leadway Assurance Company Limited, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Lagos State Ministry of Environment among others.

According to President of the CDS team, Odunayo Adeneye, the walk was aimed at enlightening the traders on the benefits of keeping a clean environment, in order to have healthy and better citizens.

He said: “As parts of our corpers social responsibility to give back to our immediate community, we visited the Idiaraba/Obele Market to sensitise the traders on the need to avoid waste, noise and air pollution. It’s expedient for them to manage their domestic wastes, especially desisting from littering refuse on the ground, burning of refuse, as well dumping refuse into the drains and canals. These activities are hazardous to the human health.”

On her part, the project leader, Ogaga Umukoro, who pointed that they have sensitised the traders on how not to contribute to waste pollution, air pollution and noise pollution said: “We are worried that during every rainy season, the clogging of the gutters by the environmental activities of Lagos residents cause flooding, that is why we have brought this project to traders in the Idiaraba/Obele market.

“As traders, it is important for them to make it a point of duty to keep their environment clean everyday, and not just on Thursdays. We have also made them to understand that keeping their environment clean leads to their healthy living.”

Meanwhile, a Scientific Officer at the Sanitation and Advocacy Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Toyin Oguntola said: “The Sanitation and Advocacy Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment is here with the corps members to advocate for cleanliness in this market. Our message to the traders is that keeping their environment clean is a participatory thing. It should not just be left in the hands of government alone.

“We want them to complement the efforts of government to ensure that they always keep their environment tidy. Towards a sustainable environment, our strong message to the traders is that they must desist from the acts of dumping refuse into the nearby drains and canal within the market environment. By so doing, any form of epidemic outbreak will be forestalled.”

Corps-members-at-Idiaraba-market-sensitising-traders

According to the Babaloja of Idiaraba/Obele Market, Alhaji Bakare Aremu, who expressed joy over the presence of the corps members, however assured that he would work with other market leaders to ensure that the market environment was always kept clean.

Similarly, the Iyaloja of the market, Alhaja Saratu Asimolowo canvassed support from the Lagos State Government to enable the traders to continue to keep the market environment clean.

Asimolowo said, “when the market is constantly kept clean, it helps to prevent the outbreak of epidemic such as cholera, typhoid fever and malaria fever. Meanwhile, as market leaders, we shall continue to ensure traders keep the market tidy for the benefit and good of all.”