The Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) has sealed a filling station and several shops along the Magboro road in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area for failing to comply with environmental regulations.
The action followed a petition from the Magboro Community Development Committee (CDC), which alleged that the affected businesses were refusing to cooperate with the community in desilting drainage channels in front of their properties.
Hon. Farouk Akintunde, the Special Adviser to the Governor on OGEPA and Chairman of the State Task Force on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Abeokuta.
Akintunde emphasised the responsibility of business and property owners to maintain the drainage channels adjacent to their premises to prevent flooding. He also reiterated that every Thursday has been officially designated for sanitation exercises across markets and business outlets in the state, urging strict adherence to the policy.
“Business and property owners in the state must take ownership of drainage channels in front of their properties, desilt, and clear them to prevent flooding,” Akintunde stated.
In a related enforcement drive, a team led by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Hon. Poviwhede Tolu, cleared illegal shanties constructed along drainage channels, setbacks, walkways, and underneath the Magboro bridge.
Community leaders have welcomed the government’s intervention. The Treasurer of the Magboro Area CDC, Mr Mojeed Makonjuola, and a community member, Mr Olawale Ayeni, expressed their appreciation to the state government for its prompt response to their petition.
The enforcement exercise signals the state government’s renewed commitment to enforcing environmental laws and mitigating flood risks, especially as the rainy season intensifies.
By Luke Adebesin, Information and Public Relations Officer, OGEPA.
