The Lagos State Government has shutdown 70 Churches and 20 mosques in an attempt to reduce the level of noise in the city.

Officials said About 10 hotels, pubs and club houses were also closed.

The state government has promised to make the city, the biggest in Africa, noise-free by 2020.

In August 2015, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LEPA, closed 22 premises after residents complained about noise emanating from them.

Bola Shabi, General Manager of LEPA said the agency would no longer allow people to pray in makeshift buildings and tents.

Shabi said noise levels had been reduced by about 35%, but this was not a “pass mark yet”.

“Enforcement is a continuous exercise and we have set a target for ourselves. We want to ensure that Lagos is noise-free by the year 2020,” he said.

Shabi said mosques complied with their instructions more than churches because when they are ordered to shut down, they “instantly bring down their speakers or reduce the noise they make”.

Some estimates put Lagos’ population at around 20 million, creating a constant background of noise – from the blaring of car horns, to the Muslim call to prayer and loud singing in churches.