NGO, volunteers sanitise Ladipo Market

No fewer than 100 volunteers on Thursday collaborated with the Lagos State chapter of Junior Chambers International (JCI) to tidy up Ladipo Market in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the activity is part of an initiative, which entails the cleaning of major markets in the council area so as to promote the people’s health and well-being.

Drains and gutters in the market were cleaned during the exercise. Mr Akintunde Savage, the Director of JCI, said that the exercise was to sensitise the people to their expectations with regard to having dirt-free surroundings because the government could not do it alone.

“We have come to support the government in its efforts to maintain a clean environment,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr Olumide Coker said that the exercise was a lead-up to the Sept. 15, 2018 World Clean Up exercise.

“We are trying to build up an illegal waste mapping through an application that was created by `Let’s do it World Foundation’, in preparation for the 2018 World Clean Up Exercise.

He said that market sanitation was organised in partnership with African Cleanup Initiative — organisers of Cleanup Nigeria project — Mushin Local Government Council and Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

Mr Alex Akhigbe, Coordinator, African Clean up Initiative, said that the initiative had successfully elicited the participation of thousands of volunteers, while cleaning a lot of garbage in various exercises.

“We have consciously and deliberately promoted the message of a clean and healthy environment, which is free from all forms of diseases,” he said.

One of the volunteers, Mr Yomi Ajinidi, who is also the leader of Environmental Health Officers (EHO), said that people should make concerted efforts to clean their surroundings regularly. “The sanitation of one’s environment should be an everyday affair,’’ he added.