Noiseless Lagos achievable, says stakeholders

A Professor of Environmental Law and Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Mr Olanrewaju Fagbohun and the Lagos Commissioner for the Environment, Mr  Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti and many other environmental experts in public and private sectors have expressed optimism that making Lagos a noiseless city is achievable.

They said all that was required to get to that stage was the concerted efforts of all the stakeholders in the private and public life beginning with the government by making laws that are effectively enforceable.

They made this submission on Thursday in their separate speeches at the fourth annual stakeholders’ interactive session on noise pollution control in Lagos State organised by the state Ministry of the Environment in conjunction with the State Environmental Agency(LASEPA).

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Many notable individuals including the former Super Eagles Captain, Mr Austin Okocha(alias JJ Okocha) and Fuji maestro, Mr Adewale Ayuba were in attendance as ambassadors for Noiseless Lagos.

Speaking on “Noise Mapping and New Urban Development Plan-The Lagos Experience,” the keynote speaker at the event, Prof Fagbohun, said the adverse effects of noise on human health are huge and disastrous and should, therefore, be prevented.

According to him, noise is a threat to human well being. It can lead to hearing defects, cognitive impairment especially in children, sleep disorder, irritation and stress, depression, nervous breakdown, low productivity, reduction in creativity and decrease in quality of life and life expectancy.

He added that “Human noise can also affect animals, vegetation and property.

He, however, described noise as an unwanted and annoying sound that is intrinsically objectionable to a human being or which can have or is likely to have an adverse effect on human health.

Fagbohun said it was not as if there had not been laws directing at controlling noise pollution in Lagos State such as the prohibition of noise in private and public places and indiscriminate use of public address system, among others, the reality is that those extant laws are not totally achieved their desired purposes.

He, however,  pointed out that noise pollution control is achievable and only when all hands are on deck.

Earlier in his address, the commissioner for the environment, Mr Durosinmi-Etti, said the essence of the stakeholders’ forum is to develop a culture of sustainable noise management in all sectors of the economy in the state in the interest of all.