Lead poisoning hits Lagos, Ogun as Senate orders crackdown on battery-recycling factories
The Nigerian Senate on Thursday described the fast-spreading lead-poisoning crisis in Ogijo, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun States as a full-blown environmental and public-health emergency that threatens thousands of lives.
The motion which was brought under Matters of Urgent Public Importance was jointly sponsored by Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru and Gbenga Daniel from Lagos East and Ogun East constituencies respectively, with lawmakers citing verified reports of extreme lead contamination traced to factories recycling used lead-acid batteries operating in the area.
Residents in the affected area were reported to present with symptoms such as abdominal pain, constant headaches, memory loss, developmental delays in children and seizures, all associated with chronic lead exposure.
The Senate, expressing concern about the development said that the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha had shut down seven battery-recycling factories and ordered a temporary halt to lead-ingot exportation pending safety investigations, following the Federal Government’s vehement stance on the issue.
Independent testing commissioned by The Examination and The New York Times revealed severe contamination in both residents’ blood samples and soil, as Senators asserted that some environmental samples, showed lead levels “up to 186 times the global maximum safety threshold.”
The red chambers commended the quick actions taken by the Lagos and Ogun State Governments in creating public-awareness and supporting affected families, urging continued enforcement and monitoring, while mandating the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to deploy emergency medical teams to Ogijo to deliver free medical examinations and healthcare to affected residents.
The Senate also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA to carry out comprehensive environmental remediation and directed the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and regulatory agencies to enforce strict nationwide compliance standards for battery-recycling and lead-processing, while recommending the establishing of a National Lead Poisoning Response and Remediation Task Force within the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
