Group Seeks Review Of Lagos Environmental Law
A pressure group, Save Lagos Group has advocated for the urgent review of the Lagos State Environmental Law recently passed by the state House of assembly, arguing that it is capable of rendering thousands of workers jobless.
The Save Lagos Group described the law which was last month assented to by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as draconian and against the interest of the people of the state.
Convener of the group, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, in a statement issued in Lagos, noted that the law would leave the people of the state at the mercy of some shadowy elements in government whom he accused of making frantic attempt to corner the wealth of the state to themselves.
Sulaiman also accused the state government of substituting the now moribund Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) with a new entity solely for the promotion of a hidden agenda that is at variance with the interest of the people of the state.
He faulted the contents of the law tagged A Law to provide for the Management, Protection and Sustainable Development of the Environment in Lagos State as capable of impoverishing the people of the state who are already feeling the pang of the current economic hardship in the country occasioned by the recession in the economy.
Sulaiman flayed the bill for arrogating too much power to the newly created executive vice chairman of the board which replaced the office of the Managing Director, which was the designation of the chief executive officer of the now moribund LAWMA.
He quoted the provisions as stated in Part III, Section 3, Paragraph 1 of the law to buttress his points, saying “The provisions of Paragraph 5 (1) b of the 1st Schedule to the Lagos State Waste Management Authority Law Cap 27 Vol. 40, 2007 as it relates to the removal of the Managing Director is hereby repealed.
“(a) The office of Managing Director is hereby replaced with the office of the Executive Vice-Chairman who shall be the Chief Executive Officer and whose appointment and removal shall be determined by the Governor subject to the approval of the House of Assembly.”
He stated that the implications of this provision is that it makes it difficult to bring errant CEO of the yet to be formed board to account for his deeds or misdeeds as the law would protect him from public scrutiny.
The group also faulted the decision of the state government through the law to impose Public Utilities Levy on the residents of the state, saying the move would be resisted by his group.
“Of particular interest to us, is the provision that states that properties of defaulting residents would be disposed off by the state government should residents fail to pay the prescribed fees, which we believe would be outrageous.” Sulaiman stated.
