The Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency OGEPA on Monday in Abeokuta said it has sealed five industries for alleged environmental infractions.

Rotimi Odiniyi, the OGEPA spokesperson, in a statement, said Farouk Akintunde, chairman of the Ogun State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, led the enforcement team.

“He (Akintunde) said the sealing became imperative so as to enthrone an effective environmental compliance mechanism,” the spokesman said.

He quoted Mr Akintunde as saying the companies were shut after the agency received petitions from the immediate communities of their incessant discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment.

“OGEPA confirmed the accusations by these communities and issued a stop-work order for them to stop production and correct the anomalies.

“Instead of them to obey the order, they ignored it and continued to degrade the environment with the discharge of their harmful untreated wastewater into their immediate communities.

“The state government is, therefore, left with no options than to shut them down in the overriding interest of the public and compelled them to stop their harmful environmental practices.

“It was also discovered that they don’t have Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) which they must have and install to stop their incessant and harmful wastewater discharge,” Mr Oduniyi said.

He also quoted the Special Adviser to the Governor on OGEPA, Oluwadare Kehinde, as saying the companies would be forced to abide by wastewater regulations in the state

“We will have to demand they stick to the best practices as enunciated in the Ogun State Green Book, which contains the laws guiding environmental practices in the state.

“For the two unregistered companies sealed, they must do proper registration with the state government and fulfil other operational obligations before they can be allowed to operate in the state,” he added.

The companies included Nixim Paper Limited and Long Xiang Aluminum, both in the Sagamu axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The others are New Shidai Manufacturing Limited at Mowe in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area and two unregistered companies allegedly operating illegally in the Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

(NAN)