Michael Babatunde
In a renewed push to address the alleged lead poisoning crisis rocking Ogijo, the Ogun State Government has announced plans to begin free lead poisoning tests for residents living around the seven recently sealed Used Lead-Acid Battery (ULAB) recycling plants.
The move comes in the wake reports and public outcry that prompted the immediate temporary suspension of ingot export from the state and the shutdown of the implicated facilities.
This is the second response from the State government within a week after PLATFORM TIMES amplified the discovery in Ogijo.
PLATFORM TIMES has earlier reported the lead poisoning discovery and the subsequent sealing of seven factories.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, revealed that a fully equipped Lead Testing Centre has been established at the Ogijo Primary Health Centre.
The centre, staffed with medical experts and diagnostic equipment, is expected to commence operations on Monday.
Coker disclosed this during a meeting held at the Ologijo Palace, where she and the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Ola Oresanya, engaged the executive committees of all Community Development Associations (CDAs) in Ogijo and the Ologijo-in-Council.
She urged community leaders to mobilize their members for the testing, stressing that the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun places the health and safety of residents above economic or industrial considerations.
“This test is for your safety. The state government will not compromise your wellbeing in the name of development,” Coker assured.
On his part, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Ola Oresanya, announced that a comprehensive Process Audit of the seven ULAB facilities including steel companies within Ogijo will commence this week.
He warned that any company that fails the audit will remain shut indefinitely until it fully complies with new environmental and operational standards.
Oresanya called on CDAs to rise above economic sentiments and support the enforcement of industrial environmental regulations, insisting that this is “not the time to play politics with public health.”
He also cautioned community leaders against selling land to industries within residential zones, adding that government will no longer approve factory siting in such areas. He advised investors to relocate to designated industrial clusters.
The Ologijo of Ogijo, Oba Kazeem Olaonipekun Gbadamosi, represented by the Lisa of Ogijo, Chief Sunday Lawal, commended the government’s swift intervention from sealing the factories to offering free lead testing.
CDA representatives, including Adesina Adeyemi, Ganiu Tiamiyu, Gboyega Usman, and Tunde Rufus, pledged to disseminate the information and mobilize their communities for full compliance.
The state government says the test results and the outcome of the process audits will help determine the next line of action in what is emerging as one of Ogun State’s most serious environmental health crises in years.
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