The Ogun State government has closed down three industries for environmental violations and two unregistered companies for illegal operations in the Ogere area along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The affected companies are Nixim Paper Limited and Long Xiang Aluminum, both located in the Sagamu area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and New Shidai Manufacturing Limited in Mowe, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.
Farook Akintunde, Chairman of the Ogun State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, led the enforcement team that shut down the companies this week.
He stated that the closures followed complaints from local communities about the companies’ continuous discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment.
Akintunde, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, explained that the companies had previously received a Stop Work Order from the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) but failed to comply.
“This was confirmed by OGEPA, which had issued a Stop Work Order directing them to cease production and address the environmental damage. Instead, they ignored the order and continued to pollute the environment with untreated wastewater,” he said.
“The state government had no choice but to shut them down in the public interest, as they failed to install required Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) necessary to manage their wastewater discharge,” Akintunde added.
Oluwadare Kehinde, Special Adviser to the Governor on OGEPA, emphasized that the companies must now adhere to the state’s wastewater regulations to prevent water pollution and maintain water quality standards.
“OGEPA remains firm on this matter and will continue to enforce high environmental standards as outlined in the Ogun State Green Book, which details environmental regulations for the state,” Kehinde said.
He also noted that the two unregistered companies must complete proper registration with the state government and meet all operational requirements before they can resume activities.
