The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has issued a warning to recycling facilities in Ogijo, Ogun State, threatening to revoke their operational licences if they fail to comply with protocols for remediating pollution in the community.
During a recent meeting, NESREA’s director-general, Professor Innocent Barikor, addressed recyclers whose facilities were sealed as part of a clampdown on non-compliant operations in the South-West Zone. Nine facilities in the battery recycling sector were sealed due to environmental pollution caused by poor slag management, manual battery breaking, uncontrolled lead dust emissions, and inadequate health surveillance for workers.
Professor Barikor emphasized that the enforcement actions were essential for safeguarding lives and restoring environmental integrity. He stated, “Facilities will remain sealed until verifiable corrective actions are taken. What we have at present is anarchic and not sustainable. This is your opportunity to reset and demonstrate responsibility.”
He further directed facility operators to commit to addressing specific environmental concerns, adhere to penalties for indiscriminate dumping, and adopt cleaner technologies.
Lawal Babatunde, the Director of Hazardous Materials Management and Environmental Safety for Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), accused the recycling facilities of not following state guidelines for slag evacuation.
The meeting included the executive secretary of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling (ARBR), Mrs. Miranda Amachree, alongside operators from the battery and base metal recycling sector.
