Officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources have once again closed the busy Ladipo Spare Parts Market, located along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
This enforcement action, taken yesterday, comes barely three years after the market was last shut down for similar reasons.
The closure is part of the state’s ongoing drive to ensure compliance with environmental laws and to curb street trading and improper waste disposal.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated: “This morning, the Lagos State Government sealed Ladipo Spare Parts Market along Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road due to repeated environmental infractions, including indiscriminate refuse disposal on the median and highway, as well as illegal street trading.”
An executive of the market, Onyeka Igwe, expressed dismay at the move, claiming there was no prior warning.
“The closure is not good news or a good idea,” he said. “We made a lot of changes and if there is any infraction… the government should have called our attention… No formal meeting or call on the market leadership. We will discuss our next line of action.”
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
