Ogun seals five firms over environmental violations

The Ogun State government, through the State Environmental Protection Agency, has sealed five industries for contravening state environmental laws and endangering the lives of nearby communities.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by Farook Akintunde, Chairman of the Ogun State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Environment, in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The affected companies include Nixim Paper Limited and Long Xiang Aluminum, both located in the Sagamu area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; New Shidai Manufacturing Limited in Mowe, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area; and two unregistered companies operating illegally in the Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Akintunde stated that the companies were shut down after the Environmental Protection Agency received petitions from local communities concerning their continuous discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment.

“This was confirmed by the State Environmental Protection Agency, which issued a Stop Work Order for them to halt production and correct the anomaly,” he said.

“Instead of complying, they ignored the order and continued to degrade the environment with harmful untreated wastewater discharge.

“The state government was left with no choice but to shut them down in the overriding public interest and compel them to cease their harmful practices. It was also discovered that these companies lack Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), which they are required to install to prevent further environmental damage.”

Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, Special Adviser to the Governor on State Environmental Protection, supported the action, stating that the companies will now be forced to comply with wastewater regulations in the state to prevent water pollution and maintain water quality standards.

“The State Environmental Protection Agency will not compromise on this,” Kehinde stressed. “We will continue to demand the highest environmental standards from industries, as outlined in the Ogun State Green Book, which contains the laws guiding environmental practices in the state.”

Regarding the two unregistered companies, Kehinde added that they must complete proper registration with the state government and meet other operational obligations before being allowed to resume operations.