The Senate, on Thursday, raised serious concerns over a rapidly escalating lead-poisoning crisis in Ogijo, a heavily populated community bordering Ikorodu in Lagos and the Ogun East Senatorial District, describing it as a grave environmental and public-health emergency threatening thousands of residents.
The alarm followed a motion of urgent national importance
jointly sponsored by Senators Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East) and Gbenga
Daniel (Ogun East), brought pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing
Orders, 2023 (as amended).
Lawmakers cited verified scientific investigations linking
extreme lead contamination in the area to a cluster of used lead-acid battery
recycling factories that had operated for years with minimal oversight.
According to the motion, residents have been grappling with
severe health complications, including persistent headaches, abdominal pain,
memory loss, seizures, cognitive decline, and developmental delays in children,
classic symptoms of long-term lead exposure.
The Senate noted that the Federal Government had already
begun enforcement actions, including the shutdown of seven battery-recycling
factories by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka
Onyejeocha, and a temporary suspension of lead-ingot exports pending further safety
investigations.
“It is deeply troubling that despite years of community
complaints, smelting operations continued unabated, releasing toxic fumes and
particulate dust into surrounding homes, schools, markets, and playgrounds,”
the Senate observed, expressing worry that community exposure remains
dangerously high.
Lawmakers also referenced recent independent testing
commissioned by The Examination and The New York Times, which revealed
alarmingly high lead levels in residents’ blood samples and soil within the
industrial belt.
Some environmental readings, they noted, were “up to 186
times above the global maximum safety limit.”
A disturbing dimension of the crisis, senators added, is
that lead processed in Ogijo has already entered global supply chains, reaching
international battery and automobile manufacturers who either failed to act or
relied solely on assurances from local suppliers.
While acknowledging that some operators deny wrongdoing, the
Senate lamented ongoing gaps in Nigeria’s regulatory enforcement that have
allowed hazardous practices to persist.
It, however, commended the early interventions by the Lagos
and Ogun State Governments, noting their initial inspections, public-awareness
drives, and collaboration with federal agencies to contain the unfolding
disaster.
Citing Sections 14(2)(b) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution,
lawmakers emphasised the responsibility of government at all levels to protect
citizens’ welfare and ensure a safe, habitable environment.
After an extensive debate, the Senate resolved to commend
both the Federal Government and the Lagos and Ogun State Governments for
swiftly shutting down non-compliant facilities.
It called for sustained enforcement, including further
factory closures, export suspensions, prosecution of violators, and stronger
industrial-safety monitoring nationwide.
The Senate mandated the Federal Ministry of Health and the
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, to deploy emergency medical teams to
Ogijo to conduct free toxicology tests, blood-lead screening, chelation
therapy, and long-term treatment for both children and adults affected.
The Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA were directed
to undertake a comprehensive environmental cleanup, including soil, air,
groundwater and household-dust mapping.
Lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals
and other regulatory authorities to strictly enforce operational standards for
all battery-recycling and lead-processing facilities across the country.
The Senate recommended the establishment of a National Lead
Poisoning Response and Remediation Task Force under NEMA, while directing the
Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor implementation and report back
within six weeks.
The chamber described the Ogijo contamination as a
preventable disaster and a stark national warning about industrial pollution,
regulatory failures, and the urgent need to safeguard vulnerable communities
from hazardous waste.
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