OGUN, Nigeria – The Ogun State Government has unveiled a lead pollution assessment report on Ogijo and surrounding communities, warning that industrial facilities found to pose unacceptable pollution risks could be shut down.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, announced the development on Tuesday in Abeokuta during activities marking the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Coker said the report, developed with relevant government agencies and partners, would guide interventions to address lead contamination and protect public health. “Today, we are not merely commemorating a global health campaign. We are also reaffirming the commitment of the Ogun State Government to evidence-based action, environmental health protection, community engagement, and prevention and control of lead exposure across the state,” she said.
The commissioner stressed that the findings must lead to practical measures to prevent further exposure, particularly among children, pregnant women and industrial workers.
She called for sustained collaboration among health and environmental authorities, industrial operators and community stakeholders, noting that the campaign theme, “From Detection to Prevention”, highlighted the need to address pollution at its source.
The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said investigations by environmental and health experts had raised concerns about pollution associated with lead-recycling industries in Ogijo.
He disclosed that air-quality monitoring devices had been deployed in industrial areas to track lead and other harmful pollutants. He also said a remediation protocol had been activated in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
Oresanya warned that industrial facilities found to pose pollution risks could be shut down as the government pursues monitoring, enforcement and remediation measures.
The Ogun State Coordinator of NESREA, Lanre Jimoh, said cleanup and remediation efforts had brought Ogijo close to normalcy following the suspected lead pollution.
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