The Ogun State Government has unveiled a lead poisoning assessment report on Ogijo and its environs, warning that industrial facilities found to pose pollution risks could be shut down as part of efforts to protect public health.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, made this known on Tuesday in Abeokuta during a press briefing to commemorate the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and the presentation of the Ogun State Lead Poisoning Assessment Report.

Coker said the report, developed by the state Ministry of Health in collaboration with other ministries, departments and agencies, as well as implementing partners, would provide evidence to guide public health planning and interventions against lead contamination.

She stressed that the report must translate into concrete measures to prevent further exposure, improve environmental health surveillance and protect residents, particularly children, pregnant women and industrial workers.

“Today, we are not merely commemorating a global health campaign. We are also reaffirming the commitment of Ogun State Government to evidence-based action, environmental health protection, community engagement, and prevention and control of lead exposure across the state,” the commissioner said.

According to her, suspected lead pollution in Ogijo and surrounding communities has underscored the need for a stronger public health response involving relevant government agencies, industrial operators and community stakeholders.

“The situation calls for a comprehensive and sustained response involving the health sector, environmental authorities, waste management agencies, occupational health services, relevant industries, community leaders, and other stakeholders,” she said.

Coker noted that the government’s response must go beyond identifying cases of lead exposure to addressing potential sources of contamination, communicating risks accurately and encouraging appropriate health-seeking behaviour.

“As a government, we recognise that protecting the health of our people requires more than responding to identified cases. It requires understanding potential sources of exposure, communicating risk accurately, promoting appropriate health-seeking behaviour, and working with the relevant institutions to reduce and prevent further exposure,” she said.

She described the assessment report as an important step towards strengthening evidence-based interventions and ensuring that investigation findings informed decisions on protecting affected communities.

“Today, we are taking a significant step towards ensuring that the findings and recommendations of this assessment are communicated to the relevant stakeholders and translated into practical actions to protect our communities,” Coker said.

She, however, cautioned that the report did not mark the end of the state’s intervention, stressing that its value would depend on the implementation of its recommendations.

“It is important to emphasise that the assessment report is not the end of it. Its real value lies in how the findings guide decision-making, strengthen preventive measures, and support the protection of the people at risk,” she added.

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Coker said the theme of the 2026 commemoration, “From Detection to Prevention,” highlighted the need to move beyond identifying lead exposure to preventing further contamination and reducing risks to present and future generations.

She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening public health protection through evidence-based interventions and collaboration among relevant stakeholders.

Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said suspected lead pollution in Ogijo had prompted investigations involving environmental and health experts, with their findings compared to strengthen the assessment.

He said the findings pointed to suspected pollution associated with industries involved in lead recycling, adding that the environmental component of the report drew on research conducted by experts from several institutions.

Oresanya said the state government had activated its clean air agenda to improve environmental monitoring in industrial areas and track lead and other potentially harmful pollutants.

He explained that air quality trackers had been deployed in industrial areas, particularly around Ogijo, to provide continuous information on environmental conditions and help authorities identify potential risks.

He added that the government was working with relevant agencies and community-based frontline responders to detect unusual environmental changes and report them for prompt investigation.

Oresanya also said the state had activated a remediation protocol in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency to address pollution in line with applicable standards.

The environment commissioner warned that industrial facilities found to pose pollution risks could be shut down, adding that the government was committed to combining early detection, enforcement and remediation to protect public health.

Also speaking at the event, the state coordinator of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Lanre Jimoh, said cleanup and remediation efforts in Ogijo had brought the area close to normalcy following the suspected lead pollution.

On the significance of the newly developed action plan to address lead pollution, Jimoh said it would complement existing NESREA regulations on battery control and strengthen efforts to minimise harmful pollutants generated during industrial production.

Recall that in November 2025, the state government said seven factories involved in lead-acid battery recycling along the Ogijo axis had been shut down over concerns about possible lead poisoning.

The government also conducted lead poisoning tests on 500 residents of the community to determine the extent of exposure among residents of affected communities.

Source: Punch · Taiwo Bankole

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