Mr. Osilamah Braimah, Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), says the board was not pleased with the closure of the Garki International Market on Friday.
Mrs. Janet Peni, the AEPB’s Deputy Director of Information, said this on Sunday in Abuja.
While the board was not thrilled about shutting down the market, he noted that “it will be failing in its responsibility if the market is allowed to operate in its current deplorable condition.”
Braimah said why the move was implemented, saying, “Environmental Health Officers of the Board carrying out routine monitoring activities in the market a week ago noticed the filthy market environment, garbage littered all over the place, and bleeding sewer lines.”
“Following our standard procedure, we served them with an abatement notice, allowing them the time allowed by law to clean up.”
“They ignored the notice and refused to clean up; instead, the garbage pile on the market premises grew larger.”
According to the director, AEPB simply went to court to acquire a court order to close the market due to their non-compliance attitude.
According to him, the closure was followed by a court order to that effect.
“It is a sad sight to see fruits and vegetables being sold so close to damaged sewer lines and garbage heaps.”
“As a result, on Friday, over 5,000 traders who thronged the modern market to trade were unable to gain access to their shops because the market had been sealed up.”
“This means that all commercial activity comes to a halt because the current situation is a recipe for an epidemic,” he said.
“Braimah revealed that addressing an epidemic as soon as it occurs is more economically beneficial than allowing trading to continue as usual in a filthy market environment.”
“Placing the financial interests of traders above the greater public health of the general populace is indeed an expensive mistake that we cannot afford to make.”
The director stated that if the market’s management agreed to clean up, they would be permitted to resume trading.
“As soon as they do the necessary,” he says, “we will return to court to obtain a court order to unseal the market for operations.”
The situation at Garki International Market remained unchanged, according to the statement, despite a late-evening meeting on Friday between AEPB, Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML), and business owners.
“Traders with perishable goods were allowed to evacuate their goods so as not to incur losses.”
