The Lagos State government has announced reopening of the Alaba International Market and the Trade Fair Complex Markets earlier closed down for breaching environmental and sanitation regulations.

The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who announced the reopening of the markets on Saturday, said the environmental issues had been addressed

Wahab, in a post on X, also dismissed claims in some quarters that the closure of the markets had ethnic and political motives, stressing that the step was taken to ensure clean and healthy environment around business facilities.

“I state emphatically that the closure of those markets had no ethnic or political motives as it was done to ensure cleanliness and environmental sustainability for the good of all residents,” he said.

“The decision to reopen the markets followed rigorous assessment and implementation of stringent environmental standards.

“These standards were set to guarantee that businesses in the state operate in a manner that is not detrimental to the environment and the well-being of the people,’’ Wahab added.

Also speaking on the reopening of the markets, Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the agency worked with market officials to ensure the attainment of environmental standards

He insisted that it was important for markets in the state to operate in a manner that was economically viable and environmentally responsible.

“We have standards that each market in the state has to comply with to make our business environment clean and healthy for buyers and sellers,’ Gbadegesin told journalists.

“These include proper waste management, zero tolerance for open burning of waste and zero tolerance for dumping of wastes in the drainage channels.

“Others are engagement of market policing personnel to monitor market sanitation, observance of distance from road setbacks, medians and market surroundings to avoid indiscriminate dumping.

“We must also ensure eradication of street trading and trading on road medians and shoulders, which obstruct free flow of traffic.

“Tariffs must also be fully paid as any violation of the stated regulations would attract penalties and possible subsequent closure of offending markets,’’ he said