The Ogun State Government has commenced a comprehensive remediation exercise in Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area, to eliminate lead contamination linked to the activities of Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) recycling facilities operating in the industrial town.
The clean-up initiative follows an extensive process audit of all ULAB facilities in the area, as well as laboratory tests conducted on soil, water, air and blood samples collected from residents to determine the extent of environmental contamination.
Flagging off the exercise, the General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Kehinde Bello, said the government had begun the evacuation of hazardous slag illegally dumped across several communities in Ogijo.
According to Bello, the removal of the waste materials is necessary to protect residents who may be unaware of the health risks posed by exposure to lead-contaminated slag.
He explained that the evacuation process would take several weeks because of the large volume of waste scattered across communities surrounding the battery recycling facilities.
“The evacuation of this slag will take us weeks to complete because large quantities were illegally dumped in many communities surrounding the ULAB facilities. The state government is determined to remove them in the overall public interest and to safeguard the well-being of residents,” Bello said.
He assured residents that the government had taken steps to prevent a recurrence of indiscriminate dumping, declaring that the era of illegal disposal of hazardous slag in Ogijo had come to an end.
Bello disclosed that all ULAB operators had been directed to upgrade their recycling processes by installing automatic battery breakers.
According to him, the new technology will significantly reduce the generation of slag while ensuring compliance with the state’s approved procedures for hazardous waste management.
Also speaking, the Director of Hazardous Material Management at OGEPA, Babatunde Lawal, said the remediation programme would extend beyond waste evacuation to include biological restoration of contaminated sites.
Lawal explained that the agency would carry out bio-remediation through the planting of vegetation capable of absorbing lead from contaminated soil.
He said the exercise would help restore areas where hazardous slag had previously been dumped, reducing the risk of long-term environmental pollution.
Lawal urged operators of used lead acid battery recycling facilities to conduct their activities responsibly and adopt sustainable practices that protect both the environment and public health.
Meanwhile, the Director of Inspectorate and Compliance at OGEPA, Tunde Bolarinwa, warned that the agency would intensify monitoring of all ULAB facilities to ensure strict compliance with the state’s revised environmental standards and operational guidelines.
Bolarinwa stressed that any facility found violating the new regulations would face appropriate sanctions, reaffirming the government’s commitment to safeguarding public health and preventing further environmental degradation in Ogijo.
