Lagos shuts strip club, 22 religious houses

Lagos State Government Wednesday shut 22 religious houses and three companies  for violating the 2010 environmental law of the state.
This came barely three weeks after the state government shut 40 religious outfits across the state.
The state government through the State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA shut the religious outfits and industries during an enforcement tour to Surulere, Abule-Egba axis and others.
Some of the churches were: The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), God Royal Sanctuary, Lagos Province 3, Zone 15, Area 48 and another on its opposite located on Ayilara Streets, Surulere.
Also, Tower of Praise Ministries International Praise Centre and Jesus Our Lord Divine Catholic Prayer Ministry located at 11 Anuoluwapo Street, Ilasamaja, where our correspondent gathered that prayer session was ongoing at about 11 am before it was shut.
In Ogba, Thomas Salako Street, a Strip Club/Hotel, popularly known as Shakara Bar was also shut.
While the companies affected are : Dura Products Industries Nigeria Limited on Sanni Olabode Street, Abule Egba, Mopson Pharmaceuticals Industry located on Osolo Way.
Speaking to newsmen after the enforcement, the General Manager of LASEPA, Adebola Shabi, lamented that ‎that the churches were fond of going back to their old ways after brief compliance.
Shabi noted that sanctioned churches would begin to pay fines ranging from N50,000 to N100,000 before they are reopened.
As for the companies, an official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was mandatory that the waste water get treated before discharge into the environment, especially in the interest of public health.
“As it is, the waste water (effluent) is toxic and will kill all living organisms in the Lagoon. All the bore holes around are at risk and over time will lead to cancer in human beings. We have served them several notices on the need for Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for which they fail to comply,” he said.
On the strip club, he said it would never be reopened again, saying that all his directives to control noise pollution in the last two years have never been complied with.
His words “Ogba being a mixed residential and industrial area, should have a decibel not exceeding 55 at night. “The noise coming from Shakara is more than 100 decibel. And anyone exposed to 115 decibel of noise for about six hours will automatically go deaf. That is the kind of risk Shakara poses to the area,” he said.