The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency convened with religious leaders on Wednesday to address the issue of noise pollution originating from worship centers.
This gathering, hosted at Alausa, follows a prior session with nightclub and bar owners, marking a strategic initiative by the agency to tackle the pervasive problem of noise pollution in the state.
During the meeting, Babatunde Ajayi, the General Manager of LASEPA, delivered a welcoming address.
He characterized the gathering as a collaborative platform for stakeholders to find common ground, emphasizing the need for all Lagosians to adopt worship practices that respect the comfort and well-being of fellow residents.
He said, “At LASEPA, we have the sole mandate of ensuring we manage pollution across Lagos. Pollution comes in different forms — there is air, there is land, there is water. The one that we get the most complaints about that concerns religious organisations is air, more specifically, noise pollution.
“This is what we have come here to discuss. From the data we have this year, we have over 2,500 reports from across Lagos alone; at least half of them are about religious organisations. So, we must sit down and discuss these issues, sort them out one after the other and bring different perspectives to the table so that we all understand what the law says and how we can go about peaceful coexistence.”
In their response, the religious leaders present at the meeting commended LASEPA for providing the platform to discuss issues surrounding noise pollution in the state. They promised to abide by the regulatory framework on air pollution as stipulated by the agency.
