*To begin clampdown from Nov. 15
The Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, (ECTDA) has said that it would commence a clampdown on noisemaking in the Enugu metropolis beginning from November 15, 2024.
The Chairman, ECTDA, Hon. Uche Anya, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with leaders of religious groups and owners of event centres in a bid to discuss ways of curtailing noise pollution in the city.
Anya disclosed that the state government had received no fewer than 1000 petitions and complaints against churches, clubs, bars, and other religious groups, perpetrating noise pollution within their environments in Enugu metropolis.
He said the engagement was part of the Enugu mega city aspirations of Governor Peter Mbah, adding that the government was poised to reduce noise pollution to zero percent through the implementation of the Anti-Noise Pollution Policy.
It would be recalled that the state government had in December 2023 as part of its urban renewal policy, directed all night clubs, beer parlours and other entertainment operators to mitigate their noise pollution in the capital city, particularly in residential areas.
Anya said the reason for notifying the stakeholders was for them to be aware of the planned implementation and possible sanctions, advising churches and owners of entertainment centres to use acoustics in their buildings in order to prevent their activities from disturbing their neighbourhoods.
The chairman further emphasized that the aim of the engagement was not to demolish any church or entertainment centre, but to brainstorm on the best way to make the residential areas hospitable.
He threatened to shut down any church or entertainment centre illegally sited within residential zones, while those who refuse to comply with the directives of the government even with any form of noise permit from the state government would be sanctioned.
Anya promised that the agency would be humane in handling the situation which according to him, was not aimed at harming anyone, but to make the state conducive for living and for the best interest of the citizens.
In their separate speeches, Pastor. Cally Ibekwe of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the leader of Hausa community in Enugu, Alhaji Yusuf Sambo, assured the agency of their readiness to comply with the directives.
