By Toochi Ejiofor
Edited by Bababunmi Agbebi
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has announced plans to arrest and prosecute people who patronise traders operating on roads, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces across Lagos.
The enforcement is expected to begin this September and will be carried out under Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
According to the law, “a person who buys any goods exposed or offered for sale from any place or street specified in the First Schedule commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of Ninety Thousand Naira (N90,000.00) or to a term of imprisonment for six (6) months or both.”
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said this decision is part of a renewed strategy to tackle illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal, and the obstruction of public infrastructure. According to him, enforcement will no longer target only traders operating in prohibited areas, but also buyers.
LAWMA said illegal roadside and median markets often contribute to poor environmental conditions, with waste generated around such trading areas ending up in drains, roads and other public spaces, and this can obstruct drainage channels, worsen traffic conditions and create public health risks.
But will arresting buyers solve the problem?
Many roadside traders operate close to where people live and work, often making them a convenient option for millions of Lagosians who want to buy everyday goods without going to the main markets. Is LAWMA willing to arrest that many people?
There is also the question of tickets. There are claims that these ‘illegal’ traders are issued daily tickets from local government councils. If traders are being made to pay for the right to operate in spaces where the government says trading is prohibited, it raises questions.
LAWMA has linked illegal trading to indiscriminate waste disposal, blocked drainage and obstruction of public spaces. But Lagos’ waste problem is larger than roadside markets. Even if every buyer stopped patronising these traders, issues such as inadequate waste collection and illegal waste dumping still need to be addressed.
The success of this enforcement therefore depends not only on how many buyers are arrested, but on whether the government can consistently enforce the ban on illegal trading, close loopholes that allow traders to return and provide practical alternatives for both traders and buyers.
Do you think arresting buyers is the right way to tackle illegal roadside trading and the waste problem in Lagos?
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