"Cleaning up our surroundings cannot be the sole responsibility of sweepers. Do citizens have no role in this? We have to change this mindset " Narenda Modi.
"Cleanliness, they say is next to godliness. The
market place is an important part of a community all over the world. It could be an open square or a place in a commercial location where buying and selling takes place.
Wikipedia defines market place or market as a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods.
By and large, it occupies an important part of any community as it is a warehouse for goods,food items, household commodities and other materials.
However, some markets operate daily and are said to be permanent markets while others are held once a week or on less frequent specified days such as festival days and are said to be periodic markets.
The form that a market adopts depend on its locality, population, culture, and geographic conditions. The term market covers many types of trading, as market squares, market halls, food halls and their different varieties. Due to this, marketplaces can be situated both outdoors and indoors, even, so many markets have emerged online these days, hence the need to ensure and enforce sanity and cleanliness at all times. Market places are key places and should remain clean through the collective responsiblities of all stakeholders.
Findings showed that, in a bid to enforce environmental sanitation at all markets, thursdays of every week has been set aside by some State Governments for cleaning of market places, this directive must not be jettisoned by the repulsive attitudes of some people, however, compliance is key and must be enforced as every stakeholder must take responsibility.
Carrying out an effective sanitation across the markets have become a serious challenge in major cities in Nigeria. There are reported cases of indiscriminate dumping of refuse, littering the major roads and blocking drainage system, insanitary defecation are common practices in some major markets.
Experts say, It is not too good for the shops and stalls to be locked up without all the traders joining hands together during the hours of sanitation, only to open their shops at the end of the environmental exercise, without achieving desired results. It is a known façt that, the objective of this exercise must be accomplished so that efforts of State Governments at ensuring environmental cleanliness is not in futility.
The importance of good environment especially market places cannot be overestimated. According to some scientists, factors that influences the growth of individuals and the nation at large, mostly has to do with the hygienic environment. Unfortunately, various elements that make up the environment, such as, air, water, land and others are being contaminated on daily basis.
A polluted environment is a health hazard and causes several diseases and ailments which endanger human chances of survival.
A visit to some market places in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro calls for urgent attention in order to nip in the bud, acts like illegal dumping of refuse, inadequate sanitary facilities, noise, water and environmental pollution which have constituted major environmental hazards.
To this end, an all encompassing system must be put in place to ensure corrective and preventive measures.
It is a known fact that, the rationale behind environmental sanitation was tailored at reducing to the barest minimum the burden of poor environmental hazards as well as unhygienic practices that could result into spread of diseases amongst buyers and sellers.
Experts have advised that state of market places especially those that stretch out into roads, poses danger of food poisoning, food-borne diseases and loss of lives associated with auto crashes.
The sanitary condition of these markets is a serious cause of worry as waste dumps could be found at different locations, polluting the environment and making it unhealthy for traders and the public. This is in addition to absence of toilet facilities, compelling sellers and buyers to urinate in open and hidden places around the market places, which may in turn, contaminate fresh foods.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) "unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances causes more than 200 diseases, from diarrhea to cancers".
"Not only that, but also an estimated 600 million – almost one in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food. And more startling is the disclosure that children under five years of age carry 40 per cent of the foodborne disease burden with 125,000 deaths yearly around the world".
WHO also discloses that diarrheal is the most common illnesses resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, causing 550 million people to fall ill and 230,000 deaths every year."
"In Nigeria, WHO estimates that more than 200,000 people die of food poisoning yearly from food-borne pathogens (especially Escherichia coli and Salmonella). The deaths are caused by contaminated foods through improper processing, preservation and service, it says.
A cross-section of food marketplaces summarised the eyesore nature, unkempt, filled with abandoned rotten fruits, vegetables and other perishable items as well as general poor sanitary conditions which in turn, contaminate fresh foods.
According to the Director and Head of Biotechnology Department, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr Adekunle Lawal Kolawole, he said: “It’s very obvious that most of the things in our local markets are appalling; you need to see the state of our market.”
He added that though government had tried within its limited capacity to ensure environmental sanitation with various mwasures only that market operators had not lived up to expectations.
He added that displaying fresh foods on tables which are not very clean, containers that are not hygienic enough for human consumption and on floors is very inimical to human health.
“Dirty and unkempt fresh food market environments tend to cause problems in terms of health. We consume many of these things that are not properly packaged, and as a result, people fall sick. People suffer from diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera and so on. These are some of the impacts on the consumer" he said.
Findings revealed that poor attitude to work of some health workers have hand in the growing sanitation challenges in the market places though report have it that they discharge duties but not as exoectes, while waste disposal officials should also be cautioned to be up and doing in evacuating tonnes of refuse generated in the market as at when due. Moreso, there are market places without sufficient incinerators to serve the people. This inadequacy has led to dumping of refuse indiscriminately along road sides constituting road eye sore.
Another sanitation challenge in some market places is the growing habit of seeing traders selling their wares on the roads sides, thereby constituting serious hindrance for both human and vehicular activities. Wost of all, they usually leave their waste unpacked to litter the roadsides, showcasing a dirty cultural way of life and also reflecting on the government environmental negligwnce.
As a matter of fact, everyone can contribute to markets hygiene and to achieve this however, there is need for periodic cleaning and fumigation of markets, this is essential to mitigate the transmission of germs and spread of diseases.
Apart from this, the enforcement officers should first be empowered and saddled with the responsibility of preventing and controling the spread of diseases in marketplaces and at various communities. Their responsibilities include: periodic conduct of routine inspectional activities of food service, stalls and shops as well as establishment toward assuring wholesome sale of healthy food products where they are produced or processed.
They must also visit different communities, homes, markets, to ensure compliance with sanitary rules. And conduct routine market and shelter inspections to ensure adequate, safe and healthful ambience for sales of goods for all people as well as observe and record general conditions of things.
All stakeholders have major roles to play, there is need for adequate enlightenment campaigns to reset the mindset of the people in the areas of cleanliness to stop all these unhealthy attitudes.
To this end, provision of potable water, toilets and bathrooms, refuse disposal bays or incinerators must be provided for by government at all levels, while open urination and defecation which are rampant among the people must be curtailed as the resultant effect on the environment will further contributes to environmental degradation.
Furthermore, there is a need for an impoved supervision of markets by well-trained, non-corrupt officials equipped with modern sanitation equipments to ensure the world beat standard across market places.
The trending cases of trading on access roads within and outside the markets must be prohibited as well as the occasion where they barricade access roads within the market and its surroundings thereby leading to unnecessary loss of lives and properties during eventuality in road traffic mishap.
Succinctly, though efforts of government is commendable in the construction of modern markets with yellow rooftops across the State, this may not be enough if sanitary workers, heads of market places and other stakeholders do not put in place guidelines that can put an end to the unwholesome practices at our market places.
To whom much is given, more is expected, Local Government Authorities must take charge as the marketplaces are under their purview, they must ensure that traders comply with sanitation protocols at all levels by engaging in aggressive campaigns encouraging citizens to imbibe good sanitation and hygienic practices as well as take preventive measures such as Keeping the environment clean; ensuring the use of clean and safe water; regularly washing hands with soap and water.
In its initiative at controlling environmental degradation, that could jeopardise the wellbeing of Ogun State residents especially at market places, the government through its Ministry of Environment began a sensitization campaign at Kuto market in Abeokuta with the aim of enlightening traders on the essence of a clean market and ways to properly dispose wastes at designated points in order to avoid epidermic.
The Senior Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Environment, Hon. Faroul Akintunde noted that the campaign was of essence to ensure a clean and hygienic environment.
’I want to implore our traders to maintain 100 percent compliance at ensuring a healthy and conducive environment. Plans are ongoing to enlighten market leaders and traders on effective new waste disposable practices which will allow them to dispose their waste properly to overcome the challenges that come with waste disposable on a large scale” he said.
In addition, task force must be on top of situation and must not be corrupt, they must ensure enforcement of relevant environmental sanitation laws, as well as regulations and guidelines in all the public marketplaces. They must focus on the importance of hygiene as one of the most strategic measures to eliminate numerous types of diseases and infections. It’s not out of place to say that hygiene is the cornerstone of a blissful and healthy life. It is known fact that, everyone has a role to play in ensuring a clean and hygienic market place in Ogun State and we must all play it collectively for a better tomorrow.
Oluwaseun Boye is an Information Officer with Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy writes via oluwaseunboye@gmail.com
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