Oyo Seals Off 3 Churches Over Noise Pollution

Oyo Seals Off 3 Churches Over Noise Pollution

Oyo State government on Monday said it has sealed three churches for noise pollution and for violating other environmental laws in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Chief Isaac Ishola told journalists that the state government has zero tolerance for noise pollution and violation of its prescribed noise level in the state.
Ishola vowed that the present administration in Oyo State was ready to enforce the laws regulating noise in the state, saying his ministry would no longer tolerate the culture of impunity as any religious body found exceeding the prescribed noise in the state would be sealed off.
The Commissioner maintained that anybody that refused to comply with the law  would be arrested , and the premises sealed in line with the laws regulating noise in the state.
“Oyo State government last year November held a meeting with the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Muslim Ulamas , Imams, DJs, communication companies , and hotel owners, after which they all promised to talk with their members on the need to comply with state regulations on the environment.

‘But since then, the state government have not seen any remarkable improvement. And not only that, the state government decided to look into approved plans of these religious buildings. Imagine when you have churches and mosques inside Government Reservation Areas (GRAs) with external speakers. And that is why the government resolved that it must put a stop to this nuisances,” he said.

He added that “Section 58 of the Oyo State Environmental Sanitation and Waste Control Regulation No.6 Vol.38 of 2013 states that “no person shall make noise beyond permissible level to the environment. And when we go to these places, they do exceed the permissible level”.
According to him, for industrial areas, “the noise permissible level shall be 90DP within a distance of 2.5 metres from the source of the noise , while in the case of residential areas, the noise permissible level is 60DP and 45DP for day and night respectively.” 
While threatening, “to arrest anybody who violates the regulations and ensure that the offenders face the full wrath of the law”, the Commissioner urged religious bodies in Oyo state to remove all external speakers mounted on their buildings as this is against government laws regulating noise in the environment