By Kunle Kalejaye
The sudden outbreak of mysterious gas emissions in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo, and Ago-Iwoye has thrown Ogun State into a public health crisis. What began as a normal school day recently ended in panic when over 100 students and teachers were rushed to hospitals after inhaling a foul, choking odor. This gas keeps coming back and is now spreading into neighboring, heavily populated towns.
Initially, rumors flew. Some blamed chemical spills from the Niger Delta.
Others saw in the emissions the anger of the gods over the burial rites of the late Awujale. They argued that it did not follow the established tradition of the ijebus on the burial of their Obas. Unless appropriate rites and fetish sacrifices are made, the odors and the emissions will not abate. Local folks also pointed to supernatural forces linked to ancient royal succession shenanigans. The ancient throne of the Awujale is a strong glue that binds the Ijebu nation. The Awujale reigns over the whole Ijebuland and is the prescribed and consenting authority to nearly all thrones in Ijebuland.
However, scientists have revealed a deeper empirical truth. Air tests at hard-hit schools like the Anglican Girls Grammar School and Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, all in Ijebu-Ode metropolis, detected dangerous levels of methane and hydrogen sulphide, peaking at an alarming 13,500 parts per million.
Experts traced the leak to the Ifewara-Zungeru fault line, an ancient crack in the earth running right under Ijebu-Ode and surrounding Ijebu settlements. Tectonic movements deep underground are squeezing trapped natural gases up to the surface.
This underground danger is not unique to southwestern Nigeria; it mirrors a broader threat across West Africa. Geologists have long warned that the forces waking up this fault line are linked to deep weaknesses in the earth across the sub-region. The most tragic reminder is neighboring Cameroon, where a sudden gas release at Lake Nyos in 1986 unleashed a massive cloud of carbon dioxide that suffocated over 1,746 people in minutes and at night.
More recently, Nigerian lawmakers raised alarms over prolonged, hazardous gas seepage disrupting communities in the Niger Delta. Across West African borders, the earth is actively venting toxic gases through its ancient cracks.
To protect ourselves, we must understand what gases are leaking to the surface and their effects on the human body. Methane is invisible and odorless, displacing oxygen to cause dizziness and fainting. Hydrogen sulphide causes the notorious “rotten egg” smell and acts as a powerful neurotoxin that burns the airways. This explains why the school children collapsed within minutes.
Worryingly, regular human activities make this natural crisis worse. The fault line holds these gases under immense pressure. When individuals drill water boreholes without geological supervision, they puncture these gas pockets, creating direct chimneys for toxic fumes to rise. Similarly, heavy blasting at nearby quarries sends violent shockwaves into the ground, cracking rocks further and opening new escape routes for the gas.
The state government reacted very robustly by ordering the free treatment of affected students in its state hospitals. The government also mounted an engaging community interaction on the emerging phenomenon. It also deployed critical manpower to monitor the emissions. Also, the state government has escalated this development to the relevant federal bodies for the benefit of a national response. However, this crisis is a profound legal challenge.
Under Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the government is legally obligated to protect our environment and safeguard the air we breathe. Locally and immediately, the state must aggressively enforce the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) Law, which grants explicit power to issue immediate “Stop Work” orders to any activity threatening public health.
Allowing schools to operate in a toxic zone without early-warning systems compromises the state’s legal duty of care. Schools in these danger zones must have gas alarms installed immediately. As seen recently in ijebuode, the surface sensors fail when gas scatters in the wind. Therefore, these sensors must be piped deep underground, a method modeled after successful systems used to monitor gas in Cameroon.
Immediately, the State government must place a temporary ban on borehole drilling and quarry blasting near the fault lines until safe zones are legally mapped. By enforcing our constitutional environmental rights, we can protect our children and ensure the air we breathe does not become our silent enemy and a killer.
Asiwaju Kalejaye (SAN) is the founder and chairman of Eagle102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu
