After initial shutdown, LASEPA unseals Jumia Warehouse

Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) on Thursday reopened Jumia’s warehouse situated at Surulere Industrial Road, Ikeja, Lagos, which was sealed on Wednesday for contravening the lockdown ordered by the Federal government in the state to contain the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 disease.

Putting up the update on its Twitter handle, @LasepaInfo, the agency said the warehouse was opened “having established that Jumia can be classified as an ‘Essential supplier’ as contained in the Infectious Disease Regulation signed by the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the 27th March 2020.”

The initial sealing of the popular online retail store had elicited condemnation from social media users, who querried why the Jumia outlet should be closed down at a time Lagos residents have been asked to stay at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to LASEPA’s tweet and action, Nigerians on twitter blamed the agency for not doing proper fact finding before sealing the warehouse, and asked LASEPA to tender an apology to Jumia.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Jumia Nigeria has demonstrated responsible corporate citizenship. The company on Wednesday announced its partnership with Lagos State Government on MyHandsAreSafe campaign, as an information tool to curb further spread of COVID-19.

Recently, Jumia announced the implementation of Contactless Delivery as a safety measure for customers to further enhance social distancing measures. In response to the pandemic, Jumia announced a partnership deal with Reckitt Benckiser to enable customers to have access to hygiene products at affordable prices during the lockdown.