The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has warned food vendors across the State to avoid selling contaminated food items to the public.
The General Manager of LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, gave the warning during a public awareness seminar on cholera prevention at the Lagos City Centre in Lagos Island.
He emphasised the importance of food hygiene, particularly among vendors selling street snacks and beverages.
“For those selling small foods like meat or pepper, we need to take extra care for those you are serving,” he said.
Ajayi noted that the seminar was part of the state’s broader advocacy and orientation campaign aimed at educating residents on how to maintain clean and healthy surroundings.
“This kind of programme is part of our advocacy effort. People must know what to do, and even when they don’t, they must be able to take specific action, and be given materials to disinfect water,” he added.
Also, the Field Coordinator for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Charles Uzoma, explained that the UN body’s involvement stemmed from last year’s cholera outbreak, which was linked to contaminated food and water.
“Following last year’s cholera outbreak, the State government discovered that water vendors were the weak link in the cholera outbreak, along with food vendors who sell zobo and other drinks. It was discovered that some of them use contaminated water to produce those drinks and when people buy them they become infected.
“So we are providing training and sensitisation to them on safe methods to purify water and avoid cholera infections,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs. Aina Aderemi, representative of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, stressed the importance of maintaining a clean environment.
“We are encouraging everyone to regularly clean our environment, clean up flood waters and that will prevent blockages,” she said.
The Iyaloja of Sura Market, Lagos Island East, Mrs Raliat Adebayo, appealed to the state government to provide potable water for market users.
“The issue of water is not our fault. We are not even happy with the water we are buying because we don’t know where they are getting it from. If we have good water, we won’t buy water,” she said.
On his part, the Managing Director of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, represented by Mrs Ademola Elizabeth, said LAWMA was actively working to improve waste management in the state.
“As LAWMA, we are working tirelessly to improve waste collection, create awareness, promote waste ethics, and engage communities through our incentives advocacy programme to promote a cleaner Lagos for all of us.”
She called on community stakeholders to join hands with government agencies to drive sustainable environmental change.
* Media Report