BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
THE Lagos State Government has prohibited the use of residential premises as morgues, embalmment centres or burial sites.
This, it said, was to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases in the state.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the state government, titled, “Burial prohibited on residential premises – LASG”, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Law Reform Commission, Mrs Ade Adeyemo, stressed that it was an offence to use residential premises as morgues, embalmment centres or burial sites.
She said the Commission was tasked with the onerous responsibility of updating and reviewing laws that addressed immediate and peculiar needs of Lagosians at every point in time.
She was quoted as saying, “The Law Reform Commission is saddled with the responsibility of reviewing and reforming laws with a view to effecting necessary changes to make them more modern, fair, just, efficient, accessible and bring them in consonance with the prevailing social and moral values of society.
“In this regard, the Commission, after review, found it expedient to ensure that the Lagos State Public Health Law was expanded to include present-day disease outbreaks like the Ebola, Lassa fever and other communicable diseases.”
The Executive Secretary noted that there were procedures to be taken in order to eliminate all anomalies as well as repeal, review and reform obsolete, spent and unnecessary laws, “which at a time were necessary but as the State evolves, they become inapplicable because they do not fit the prevailing situations and circumstances.”
According to her, the very first compendium of laws in the State was the 1973 laws of Lagos State, which she said was a merger of the laws that existed in the former Federal Territory of Lagos and those of Former Western Nigeria.
She explained that the present Law Reform Commission evolved out of the short-term State Law Review Committees/Commissions saddled with the responsibilities of previous law reforms.
Adeyemo listed some of the Laws and Bills that had been reviewed and forwarded to the House of Assembly for the benefit of the general public to include the Animals Bill, Electric Power Sector Reform Law, Tenancy Bill, Real Estate Regulatory Bill, Lotteries and Gaming Authority Law, among others.
