The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has warned operators of recycling facilities in Ogijo, Ogun State, that their licenses risk revocation if they fail to comply with environmental remediation protocols.
NESREA Director General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, issued the warning on Monday during a meeting with recyclers whose facilities were recently sealed in a clampdown on non-compliant operators in the South West.
Nine battery recycling plants in Ogijo were shut down for poor slag management, manual battery breaking, uncontrolled lead dust emissions, and failure to conduct workers’ health surveillance, all of which contributed to environmental pollution in the community.
Barikor described the action as a necessary measure to protect lives and restore environmental integrity, stressing that the facilities would remain closed until verifiable corrective actions were taken.
“The situation is anarchic and not sustainable. This is your opportunity to reset, demonstrate responsibility, and bring your facilities into full compliance. NESREA has shown patience, but that window is closing,” he said.
The DG further directed operators to bear the cost of slag evacuation under the “polluter pays” principle, sign an undertaking to comply with agreed protocols, process required documents, and register with the sector’s Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).
He also urged them to adopt cleaner technologies, address facility-specific environmental concerns, and comply with penalties for indiscriminate dumping.
Lawal Babatunde, Director of Hazardous Materials Management and Environmental Safety at the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), accused the operators of disregarding state guidelines for slag evacuation.
The meeting was attended by Mrs. Miranda Amachree, Executive Secretary of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling (ARBR), alongside operators in the battery and base metal recycling sectors.
