Ogijo: The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has taken decisive action to protect public health and the environment by sealing nine recycling facilities in Ogijo, Ogun State, for non-compliance with environmental regulations.
According to Voice of Nigeria, the ongoing enforcement exercise in the Southwest Zone of the country has also seen the sealing of 20 other facilities in Ekiti, Osun, and Ogun States. The Director General of NESREA, Professor Innocent Barikor, stated that the enforcement exercise is in line with the mandate of NESREA, which gives the agency the responsibility of prohibiting activities and processes that undermine environmental quality.
Professor Barikor highlighted that these facilities were closed for violating the provisions of the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations, 2024. The offences include a lack of environmental documents such as Environmental Audit Reports, Environmental Impact Statements, and permits; absence of fume treatment plants; indiscriminate discharge of black oil; failure to conduct blood-lead tests on staff; improper slag management; manual battery breaking and washing, and non-compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme.
He noted that it had become necessary to take drastic action against non-compliant recyclers in the Ogijo community in Ogun State, as their operations have continued to endanger the environment and the lives of citizens. The situation in Ogijo has been concerning due to the harmful activities of battery and scrap metal recyclers. Improper disposal of hazardous slag from battery recycling poses environmental degradation and public health risks from toxic lead content. Tests have revealed the presence of lead in residents, resulting in illnesses and deaths.
Professor Barikor stated that the failure of the facilities to adopt the best available technology in their operations was in contravention of the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations 2024. There have been several stakeholder interventions involving Federal and State Ministries of Environment, NESREA, State Environmental Protection Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, and development partners in a bid to get the facilities to upgrade their operations to more environmentally friendly technology and institute sustainable plans for the management of slag and other waste from their processes. However, a recent tour of the community revealed a total disregard for environmental laws, indicating that some of these facilities do not intend to comply, posing a significant threat to the health of residents and the environment.
He emphasized that the sealing of the facilities was to protect the lives of vulnerable citizens and halt the operations of recycling facilities that undermine the law and expose Nigerians to danger. According to Professor Barikor, their duty to Nigerians is a solemn responsibility, and they are no longer appealing to any facility to comply with the laws; when they refuse to obey, they face the consequences.