From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has given 16 business concerns in Ekiti State seven days to fumigate their business premises in line with the COVID-19 protocol or risk being sealed off.
The affected organisations include Happy Homes Ventures, opposite Awedele Market, Soterial Hotel at GRA, Sara Wink Pharmacy at Adebayo Area, Smathex Pharmacy opposite School of Nursing, Kanada Store, Irona Street and Beta Health Pharmacy also at Adebayo.
Others are: Ige Pharmacy at Basiri, Jeskod Pharmacy & Stores Nova junction, First Peter Pharmacy, Lino Supermarket, Similoluwa Hosana Traffic Hotel.
The firms were arraigned before Magistrate’s Court for their failure to fumigate their premises in spite of several warnings by officials of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
Giving the order, Magistrates Olubunmi Bamidele and Moradeke Onipede said they were found culpable of the offence under Section 57 subsection 4 of Ekiti State Environmental Health and Sanitation Reenacted Law no. 21 of 2020.
The Magistrate ordered the businesses to liaise with the Ministry of Environment and conduct the fumigation within seven days adding that the Ministry should seal off organizations that were not represented in court despite receiving court summons.
In her reaction, the state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs Iyabo Fakunle Okieimen, said that her ministry had met with the firms several times and told them to fumigate their premises.
She reiterated the commitment of the Fayemi administration to the general well-being of people in the state, adding that government would leave no stone unturned to curb the spread of the deadly virus in the state.
She advised business organizations in the state to properly fumigate their premises and observe all COVID-19 guidelines towards contributing to efforts at tackling the spread of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
