Nothing less than 53 churches with mosques and hotels are reported to have been shut down by the Lagos State Government over noise pollution and other environmental offences.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Adebola Shabi, disclosed that the agency had received persistent complaints from residents and neighbours of the shut facilities.
He also stated that some of the sealed worship centres were converted from residential apartments to places of worship, constituting nuisance to other residents.
The General is quoted as saying:
“In recent times, most of the petitions kept coming to us. It was as if we are not working at all. That was why we shut the facilities.
“You cannot have makeshift structures and say you want to be conducting services or vigils there. Definitely, you will be disturbing your neighbours. So, the government won’t allow the use of makeshift structures as a church or mosque.
“Nobody is allowed to make a noise above 55 decibel during the day in residential areas and only 45 decibel is allowed in such areas at night.
In industrial areas, 90 decibel of noise level is allowed during the day, while the noise rate must not exceed 80 decibel at night.”