The Ministry of Environment in Lagos state is set to prosecute landlords who build multiple rooms which are rented out with limited conveniences.
The Lagos State government has vowed to clamp down on owners of buildings with poor or substandard septic tanks, declaring the practice as unhealthy and could lead to outbreak of epidemic, according to the Nigerian Tribune.
The government also warned landlords with multi-room tenement, who have just one toilet for over 60 residents to make amends without further delay, adding that it would no longer tolerate such practice.
Commissioner for Environment, Mr Babatunde Adejare, who gave this warning on Monday while speaking at the stakeholder’s forum for Sensitisation and Public Awareness on Environmental and Health Implications, reiterated that the state government would no longer permit the idea of a toilet for about 60 tenants.
“The law prescribes punishment for them. Now, KAI and environmental officers will be involved. This is part of what they will be doing. We have come to enforce the law. A lot of things are abnormal in our environment; we won’t allow people to dispose refuse in the drainage.
“Imagine a landlord of 25 rooms having a single toilet. He makes money from the building but cannot get toilet for the tenants. Since government doesn’t collect any money from landlords, they should use it to build toilets for their tenants." Adejare said.