By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government, through the State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, said over 352 facilitates including religious house have been shut down across various parts of State in the last one year over noise pollution and other environmental infractions.

General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, disclosed this in his Alausa office, while giving a one year report of his stewardship to the media.

Ajayi said, in tackling environmental problems emanating from religious, industrial and residential facilities his agency has strengthened enforcement mechanism that are primarily directed at preventing noise pollution and other environmental degradation.

He said, ‘’Generally, residents are bad behaved in terms of complying with regulations. One major challenge of noise pollution is that after enforcement they comply for awhile, before you know it they go ballistic again. They go back to same offence.

“Then we start the process again. The reason we have them to comply for awhile is because they pay fines and we shut them down.

“There is no city in the world that does not leverage fines and penalties for violations. There must be consequences for actions.

“It’s not only Nigeria’s problem, it’s global. People just have the tendency to go back to bad behavior.

“The use of microphones also at bus stops and religious houses are major concerns. Even Christian worshippers come out with loud speakers and microphones to preach in public.

“For noise pollution, religious sector takes the highest because there is little or no control in terms of how you can set up religious houses going by our current regulations.

“It takes very strong willed policy to have that in control. In Nigeria today some churches want to have two branches on a street or Mosques. In terms of Public Address Systems as noise pollution, religious houses takes the highest.

“We have had conversations with representatives of religious houses why noise pollution is bad idea and why they need to maintain less than 60 decibels for decorum during service, and the danger they are causing to the public as well as themselves. We do this engagement regularly.

“Even when others see you sealing up a building, they will still not stop the noise because in their mindset it is about religion which is very sensitive to many people.

“But, we also need to know that for us to build a society that works everybody needs to behave and maintain decorum.

“Enforcement is one very effective and interesting way of advocacy. We have done that very efficiently.

“We have also done a lot of advocacy events, engaging the public, industries, religious organisations, engaging different categories of people, the entertainment industry in particular from where we have the popular noise problem.

‘’So what I usually like to say is that noise pollution is just five per cent of our mandate but it takes 90 per cent of our time because it touches everybody.

“It may not touch every single person but it is important in the scheme of things and in making Lagos a very balanced city.’’