Eric Moore residents worry over offensive odour from rail line market

Residents of Eric Moore in Apapa Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, have expressed concern over accumulated waste generated by animals and scrap dealers at the Rail line market.A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the weekend revealed that the waste materials which include water sachets, ram dung, human waste and other scraps, was producing offensive odour, threatening human health.A 57-year-old scrap dealer, Mr Olaitan Olafimihan, told NAN that the filthy environment in the market was caused by the recent rainfall which prevented the traders from burning the refuse.'We usually gather our refuse at a particular place and set fire to it but the rain has soaked the refuse.''Olafimihan said that the traders resorted to burning the waste when their effort to get them disposed by the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) failed.'We have gone to the LAWMA office several times to discuss on how we can be disposing our waste in this area.'But the N150,000 monthly charges they are demanding to evacuate the refuse, is too high.'We cannot afford the money because what we are selling here cannot give such money to pay for refuse disposal,'' the market leader said.Reacting to the allegation, Mrs Folashade Kadiri, the LAWMA Public Relations Officer, denied that its staff demanded for money from the traders.According to her, the market is not covered on the schedule of the agency because the market was not registered by the state government.'The market is not registered for now. In every other market that registered with the agency, we do not charge any fee to provide refuse bins.'So, if any person came to the market and demanded for money, it was illegal as far as LAWMA is concerned.'But when we provide refuse bins, the trader will pay some amount to the agency for waste disposal services,'' Kadiri said.
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