Noise pollution: Lagos seals 53 churches, mosques, hotels

Bans open procession over insecurity
By Oluwole Farotimi
THE Lagos State Government yesterday sealed more than
53 churches, mosques and hotels across the state over
noise pollution and other environmental ills.
Daily Sun learnt some of the worship centres were sealed
because they were converted from residential apartments
to places of worship thereby contravening the law and
constituting nuisance to other neighbours.
Confirming the development, General Manager of Lagos
State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Mr.
Adebola Shabi, said the agency received lots of complaints
from residents and neighbours about the nuisance
constituted by the premises shut by the agency.
“In recent times, most of the petitions kept coming back to
us. It was as if we were not working at all. That was why
we shut the premises.”
He explained that some of the affected facilities had been
served abatement notices before the eventual closure,
adding that the growing rate of worship centres in the
state calls for serious regulations, especially in the areas
of noise pollution across the state. He said some of the
worship centres polluting the neighbourhood with noise
are usually makeshift structures that do not have
government approval.
Meanwhile, ahead of the yuletide, the state government
has announced a ban on all forms of open processions
and carnivals during Christmas and New Year
celebrations. Briefing newsmen after the weekly council
meeting, Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said
the measure was to allow for a hitch-free Christmas and
New Year celebrations.
Owoseni assured “Lagosians will enjoy a hitch-free
yuletide. Miscreants will definitely raise false alarm,
wanting to create false panic. We urge people to watch
very well as we have put all machinery in place.”