LASEPA Shuts Down 250 Worship Places, Nightclubs Over Noise Pollution

By Akinwale Kasali

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, has shutdown at least 250 organisations, including industries, worship places and night clubs as a result of noise pollution and other environmental infractions over the last three months across the metropolis.

The action is part of efforts by the Lagos State Government to achieve an improved, safer and sustainable environment in the State.

Babatunde Ajayi, LASEPA General Manager, disclosed this during the Agency’s one-day capacity-building training for its accredited consultants across the state in conjunction with the Climate Transition Academy, held in the Central Business Development Area, Ikeja, Lagos.

Ajayi said LASEPA has embarked on a lot of reforms geared towards achieving a noiseless, cleaner, safer and pollution-free Lagos. He said that the training was to update the consultants’ knowledge of current trends in addressing global climate change challenges and other environmental problems for sustainable development.

He, therefore, charged the accredited consultants to support the State Government’s bid to deliver a safer, healthier and sustainable environment through the adoption of Environment Social Governance (ESG) global model in tackling identified environmental challenges.

According to him: “The training of LASEPA accredited consultants has become necessary so as to update their knowledge and increase their capacities in the application of the global standard model in managing environmental issues, especially climate change problem and their associated greenhouse gas emissions.

“In achieving our ministerial mandate, the agency would strengthen its enforcement measures to ensure compliance with government regulations towards achieving a cleaner and sustainable environment in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda of the state.”

The Executive Director, Carbon Limits Nigeria, James Ogunleye, who spoke on behalf of other facilitators, stated that the programme would help to expose LASEPA-accredited consultants and broaden their knowledge of current global practices in a sustainable environment.

Ogunleye, noted that there was a great departure from the old practice of consultants just knowing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Audit Report (EAR), and Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) to qualify as a consultant.