The Ogun State Government has ordered the temporary suspension of Lead Ingot Exports and shut down seven battery recycling plants in Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area, following concerns over alleged lead contamination.
The decision was announced by the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, during an inspection tour of Ogijo prompted by a viral video alleging hazardous lead exposure in the community.
Oresanya, accompanied by experts from the Ministries of Environment and Health, the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), explained that the seven industries involved in used lead-acid battery recycling have been closed as a precautionary measure.
He reassured residents of the government’s commitment to public safety, saying a comprehensive health and process audit will be conducted on the affected facilities. The audit will include testing lead levels in humans, soil, air, and major water sources within and surrounding the industrial town.
“The results of the tests will be made public,” Oresanya stated. “We will also review the methodology and outcomes of previous assessments cited in media reports.”
This development comes after the New York Times put out a new investigation on how lead recycling for car batteries in the United States has significantly impacted communities in Ogijo, in Sagamu local government area of Ogun state. In a video trending on social media, the investigation shows how Ogijo has become the lead recycling capital of Africa, where more than half of the children there, have lead in their blood, associated with lifelong brain damage.
Melissa Enoch
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