The Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) has sealed three companies for extracting large quantities of groundwater for commercial purposes without proper authorisation and compliance with regulations.

The three companies are Nigerian Bottling Company, producers of Coca-Cola, FrieslandCampina, makers of Peak Milk and Guinness Nigeria Plc.

Mr Olowu Babatunde, Director, Technical Services, LASWARCO, said this during an enforcement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Babatunde said that LASWARCO had been engaging with these companies for over seven years to encourage compliance but efforts have been met with limited success.

“We operate a law that empowers us to regulate most of these heavy abstractors in Lagos State.

“Abstractors are individuals or entities that extract large quantities of groundwater for commercial purposes.

“So, these companies that we have sealed, basically three of them – Coca-Cola, FreislandCampina and Guinness, abstract water in large quantities.

“And we have been engaging them over time. At least, I have been here for more than seven years now. We’ve been engaging these companies for more than seven years now.

“Some, either they do partial compliance, or some don’t comply at all. So, now that we started implementation of our regulation, we now compel them to fulfill all their regulatory demands,” he said.

Report says that the enforcement was a follow-up of a news briefing on unregulated groundwater abstraction by Mr Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, held on Monday.

Wahab noted that the Environmental Management Protection Law 2017 empowered LASWARCO to regulate groundwater activities and impose penalties for unauthorised abstraction.

He said that unregulated groundwater extraction could lead to serious environmental consequences, including land subsidence and groundwater contamination.

The commissioner said in 2020, the government offered a 75 per cent waiver on groundwater abstraction fees, but compliance was low.

This, he said, necessitated LASWARCO to now initiate enforcement actions against defaulters.

He said that letters were issued to non-compliant organisations with a 72-hour ultimatum to comply and penalties would be imposed on those who continued to operate without authorisation.(NAN)

In spite of high  transport fares, Lagos residents  have continued to travel for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

A correspondent, who monitored activities at some motor parks  in Lagos on Tuesday, reports that commuters  queued to get tickets for their travels.

The motor parks visited include the popular Maza Maza and Okota motor parks.

Transport companies visited include Young Shall Grow Motors, Peace Mass Transit, Okeson, Chisco and GUO motors.

A trip to the eastern part of Nigeria from the motor parks with a bus cost as much  N56,000 on Tuesday.

daily Asset also observed that many commuters booked for seats online, making it easy for the buses to get filled up.

Some of the passengers who spoke with newsmen said that they needed to travel to their villages.

They also said that it was delightful to visit home during festive periods.

According to a businesswoman, Mrs Bridget Okonkwo, home is interesting.

“Home is sweet. From the beginning of every year, we plan to visit home during Christmas, making contributions toward that; so, no matter the cost, we will go.

“There are so many activities at home. It is also an opportunity to meet people we have not seen for a very long time,” she said.

Another commuter and student, Ms Chinasa Ekwe, who said that she was travelling with her siblings to attend a wedding ceremony.

Ekwe, who decried the high cost of transport,  said she needed to travel for the ceremony.

“Last week, the fare was around N35,000 and N40,000. This is really not good.

“We moved from one transport company to another sseeking a reduced  fare before we settled for this one.

“Three of us paid N165,000,” she said.

A banker, Mr Emmanuel Onyeka, said that  he travelled  every Christmas season to be with his family members who, he said, were residing in Enugu.

“This period is an opportunity for me to be with my family; so, no matter the cost, I have to be at home in Enugu.

“It is really unfortunate that the situation in our country is like this.

“I can remember the period we paid around N7,500 to travel down east,” he said. (NAN)

Gov. Hyacinth Alia has declared a two-week holiday for civil servants in the state to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

Alia made the declaration on Tuesday in Makurdi in his Christmas message to Benue people.

The governor said that the holiday commenced on December 24 and ends on January 6, 2025.

He said the essence of the long holiday was to allow workers to enjoy the season with their loved ones.

Alia enjoined them to use the period to engage in farming activities to boost food production and reduce poverty.

“In the spirit of the Yuletide and in conjunction with the Benue Executive Council, I’m pleased to announce an elongated Christmas and New Year for the state workforce.

“This decision underscores our commitment to supporting the well-being of our workforce.

“While you use it to enjoy this festive season with your loved ones, it is also expected that the holiday afford you the time to attend to your various agricultural engagements.”he said

The governor, however, said all essential service providers would devise a schedule to work during the said period.

He listed those offering essential services to include financial institutions, energy providers, security agencies, hospitals, telecommunications, fire service, and water board, among others.

Alia advised the people of the state to continue to imbibe in the spirit of love and peace while remaining committed to a better Benue.

The governor prayed for a peaceful Christmas and New Year celebration (NAN).