The Executive Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area, Moyo Ogunlewe, has raised concerns over the use of a public toilet facility for commercial purposes at the Onabanjo Street market in Oworoshoki, Lagos. During an unannounced inspection, Ogunlewe discovered that parts of the toilet building had been converted into a food shop and a hair salon. The visit, which was initially part of a monitoring exercise for ongoing road construction projects, revealed unsanitary conditions including exposed plumbing, PVC piping, and incomplete concrete structures within the repurposed space. Ogunlewe condemned the practice, calling it unacceptable for food and personal care services to operate from a toilet facility. He questioned the public health implications, particularly in a busy market environment. Video footage shared on social media showed the interior of the converted space, with traders conducting business amid the rundown infrastructure. The council chairman engaged market traders and officials during the visit, stressing the risks such conditions pose to community health. No immediate enforcement action was detailed following the inspection.
Moyo Ogunlewe's discovery of a food shop and salon operating inside a public toilet exposes a disturbing level of urban neglect in Kosofe, where basic civic sense appears to have collapsed. That businesses dealing in food and personal hygiene could function in a decommissioned toilet facility—complete with exposed pipes and unfinished concrete—reveals not just regulatory failure but a normalization of squalor in public spaces.
This is not merely about one rogue conversion but reflects a broader pattern of weak oversight in Lagos's local markets, where infrastructure meant for sanitation is routinely repurposed due to high demand for commercial space. The fact that this occurred in a busy market like Onabanjo Street, and went unchecked until a surprise visit, underscores how routine violations have become in urban governance. Ogunlewe's social media reaction suggests shock, yet such findings are predictable in areas where monitoring is irregular and enforcement is absent.
Ordinary traders and residents bear the brunt, facing heightened health risks from contaminated environments and inadequate facilities. For low-income workers in Oworoshoki, this is everyday reality—conducting business and buying food in spaces that defy basic hygiene standards. The wider pattern points to a city straining under informal economy pressures, where survival often trumps regulation.
