Oyo Govt Demolishes 5 Shops, Seals Filling Station for violating Environmental Law

Bad day for some shop owners around Orita Challenge ibadan, as Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Environmental and Water Resources on Thursday, demolished Five shops and relaxation pub, and sealed a filling station for violating the environmental law.

An enforcement team led by the Director of Engineering and Beautification, Engr Moshood Adeola during the weekly environmental sanitation exercise said, having served the owners of series of notices which they failed to  comply  with within the statutory notice period, the Government was compelled to partially demolish the structures as a warning.

Adeola said the affected shop owners have violated the environmental law on building regulations and failure to carry out the weekly sanitation exercise, while the filling station was sealed for accommodating a filthy drainage lane which environmental officers alleged exposed residents to varying degrees of environmental hazards.

According to the Boss, "Government would not relent in enforcing the best environmental culture in the people for the sake of good living.

 "The disobedience of the shop owners to vacate the premises, being a set back for the road led to this demolition. Despite the abatement notices served on  them for more than six months to vacate the premises as the continued existence of the illegal structures constituted environmental  nuisance, they did not yield and we have to come and pull the structures down.

"Their offenses range from noise and air pollution, evidence of open defecation accommodating illicit drug users within the environment and that is why those shops were pulled down.

"Despite the effort of Oyo State Government in maintaining a suitable and sustainable environment for all and sundry  some people still go ahead engaging in street trading and non adherence to environmental laws.

"It is on record that this administration will not renounce its stance of zero tolerance on environmental disorderliness" .

"We call on those violating environmental laws or constituting nuisance to the environment to desist from the act else they would face the wrath of the government. The moment State mobile courts go into operation, it will be instant judgement for violators," he stated.

Adeola affirmed that as soon as the state Mobile court is established, anyone caught violating the environmental law will be arrested and punished accordingly.