Cholera Outbreak Forces Closure of Lagos Food Market

Lagos government shuts down a well-known food market amid a cholera outbreak. Learn about the health risks and preventive measures.

The second-biggest food market in Lagos State after Mile 12, Ile Epo Market, has been closed by the government once more because of unsanitary circumstances brought on by a cholera outbreak.

The market was sealed by representatives of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) on Sunday, the second time in less than a year that it had been closed because of environmental issues.

Many vendors and consumers were shocked to discover the market closed when they arrived, and they expressed annoyance at the sudden shutdown.

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Rosemary Olatinwo bemoaned the closure and her inability to buy food, saying, “I am appealing to the government to find lasting solutions to these frequent closures.”

Another trader, Sister Mercy, expressed disapproval of the frequent closures and urged authorities to look into other options instead of closing the market.

Olatunji Manchester, the general secretary of the Ile-Epo/Oke Odo Traders’ Association, raised scepticism over the time and regularity of the closures while highlighting the difficulties experienced by traders and their families.

An unidentified task force official stated that the state’s ongoing cholera outbreak and the dirty conditions of the market were the driving forces behind the closure. He called attention to piles of trash as a serious issue.

Tokunbo Wahab, the Environment Commissioner, acknowledged the shutdown on his verified X handle and attributed it to multiple complaints regarding the market’s unsanitary surroundings and disregard for waste management rules.

“The purpose of this action is to protect the public from diseases like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery,” Wahab declared, pleading with the public to be vigilant in reporting such hygienic problems.

The state administration is acting in response to the cholera outbreak, which is becoming more and more of a problem in Lagos.