Senate raises alarm over lethal lead poisoning in Ogijo, warns of public health disaster
The senate on Thursday raised the alarm over a “widespread and scientifically verified lead-poisoning disaster” devastating Ogijo, a densely populated community spanning the Ikorodu axis of Lagos and the Ogun east senatorial district.
On November 28, the Ogun state government shut down seven used lead-acid battery recycling factories in Ogijo, Sagamu LGA, amid concerns over alleged lead poisoning.
On November 26, an investigative report showed residents who tested positive for lead poisoning live within 100 to 500 metres of True Metals Nigeria Limited and Everest Metal Nigeria Ltd, two of the most prominent used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recyclers in Ogijo.
Lawmakers said the contamination, traced to emissions from multiple used lead-acid battery recycling plants operating in the area, has escalated into “a full-scale public health emergency that is silently destroying an entire generation”.
Tokunbo Abiru, sponsor of the motion, said the level of toxic exposure in Ogijo was “an environmental catastrophe of global significance”, adding that laboratory findings revealed pollution “as high as 186 times the globally acceptable safety threshold”.
Abiru said testimonies from residents were heartbreaking.
