A Kano State Environmental Mobile Court has ordered the management of Singer Commodity Market in the Kano metropolis to pay N2 million fine for violating the state’s environmental laws.
The Presiding Judge, Chief Magistrate Auwalu Yusuf, said the state’s environmetal committee had found the market premises in a filthy state when it visited the market on Friday.
Yusuf said the market’s management had failed to keep the facility clean and ensure a healthy environment for commercial transactions.
He said the filthy state of the market contravened the National Environmental Health Protection Regulation Act Part 27 of 2016.
The judge thus convicted the market’s management and slammed a N2 million fine under Part 1 Section 13; Part 3 Section 39, Part 4 Section 62, Part 6 Section 72, Part 7 Section 79 and Part 8 Section 85 of the same act.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Kabiru Getso, has expressed concern over the poor sanitary condition of the market, noting that it posed serious threat to public health.
He blamed the market’s management for its inability to keep the place clean and warned that the state government would not condone the act.
“What we have seen at Singer Market is totally condemnable; we are not happy about its condition, the market is untidy, drains silted which is hazardous to health.
“There is no sign of sanitation at Singer Market, government will not condone it, they will be sanctioned accordingly.
“The management must ensure that the market is sanitised and drains de-silted to safeguard public health,” he said.
According to Getso, the state government has dedicated last Saturday of every month for monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
He said the measure was to protect the environment; sanitise markets, motor parks, offices and other business premises, to ensure that financial transactions and business activities are conducted in a sanitary manner without endangering life.
He said the sanitation committee, set up by the ministry, had visited Sabon Gari and Singer Markets as well as offices, streets and motor parks, as part of the exercise.
While commending the management of the Sabon Gari for ensuring sanity at the market, Getso urged residents to keep their environment clean and shun indiscriminate dumping of waste on waterways.
