By Emegwoako C. Paschal
The Nasarawa State Government announced on Monday, October 31st, that it was taking proactive steps to demolish some shops blocking water channels at the Lafia Modern Market in order to reduce the flood threat in the state capital.
This was revealed to journalists on Monday in Lafia by the state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, who gave owners of such shops built on waterways within the modern market a one-week ultimatum to remove them with immediate effect.
“The government will not tolerate the practice of building to block water channels within the Lafia Modern Market,” he said. This is a violation of Section 7 of the Public Health Act.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abdullahi Agwai, also stated that the state government was working around the clock to address the flooding problem throughout the state.
As a result, Kwanta maintained that some residents were sabotaging the state government’s efforts to achieve a clean environment, and that the ministry would demolish all shops built on waterways in the Lafia Modern Market.
Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, the Environment Ministry’s Chief Prosecuting Officer, also revealed that 63 people were arrested for violating the state’s environmental sanitation law.
