The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed 29 facilities across Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and other parts of the South West for violating environmental laws.
The enforcement exercise, led by NESREA’s Director General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, saw nine battery recycling plants in Ogijo, Ogun State, shut down for endangering public health through toxic lead emissions and poor waste management.
Barikor said the agency’s action was necessary to protect residents whose blood tests had revealed dangerous levels of lead, resulting in illnesses and deaths. He stressed that the facilities had failed to adopt modern technologies in line with the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations 2024.
“The harmful activities of these recyclers threaten both the environment and human lives. Despite several interventions, they have refused to comply with the law, leaving us no choice but to seal them,” he said.
The affected facilities in Ogijo include Vedanta Metal Industries Limited, Metal Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, African Non-Ferrous Limited, True Metals Nigeria Limited, BPL Nigeria Limited, Hanushi Manufacturing Limited, Pristine Elt. Pvt. Limited, Timto Alu Company Limited, and Ecomade Industries Limited.
Beyond Ogun, NESREA also sealed 10 construction and quarry sites for operating without mandatory environmental documents, five plastic factories for failing to install fume-abatement technology, one food processing firm in Osun, a marble company in Ikirun, an automobile assembly plant in Abeokuta, and a wildlife facility in Iperu-Remo.
According to NESREA, offences committed by the facilities included lack of environmental audit reports, indiscriminate discharge of waste oil, poor slag management, absence of permits, and refusal to comply with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme.
Prof. Barikor warned that the agency would no longer appeal to operators to comply. “Our duty to Nigerians is a solemn responsibility. Anyone who refuses to obey environmental laws will face the consequences,” he declared.
