The Senate on Thursday ordered nationwide action after a fast-growing lead-poisoning crisis was reported in Ogijo, a busy community located between Ikorodu in Lagos and the Ogun East Senatorial District. Lawmakers raised concern that the situation had turned into a full public-health and environmental emergency, putting thousands of residents at risk.
The matter was brought before the Senate through a motion by Senators Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru of Lagos East and Gbenga Daniel of Ogun East. They drew attention to verified scientific findings that traced extreme lead contamination to a cluster of used lead-acid battery recycling factories that had been operating in the area for years.
Residents were said to be suffering from headaches, stomach pain, memory loss, seizures, cognitive decline, and slow development in children. These symptoms match long-term exposure to dangerous levels of lead. The Senate noted that the Federal Government had already taken first steps by shutting down seven battery-recycling factories and pausing the export of lead ingots until safety checks were completed. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, led those initial enforcement actions.
For many years, Ogijo residents had lodged complaints, insisting that the factories continued to release toxic smoke and dust into nearby houses, markets, and play areas. Despite community protests, the smelters allegedly kept operating openly. The Senate stated that while some owners of the plants denied wrongdoing, people living in the area remained exposed to high levels of danger.
Independent tests ordered by The Examination and The New York Times reportedly revealed that both the soil and residents’ blood samples contained extremely high levels of lead. Some of the samples were said to contain lead levels far above global safety limits. Lawmakers also noted that lead processed in Ogijo had already entered global supply chains, reaching foreign battery and automobile companies that had not acted on the findings and instead relied on assurances from Nigerian suppliers.
During the session, lawmakers faulted the gaps in Nigeria’s regulatory systems and the weak accountability that allowed the situation to grow to this level. They, however, acknowledged the early response by the Lagos and Ogun State governments, who launched inspections, carried out public awareness campaigns, and worked with federal agencies to support affected families.
After extended discussions, the Senate agreed to commend the Federal Government and the two state governments for acting quickly by shutting down factories that failed to comply with safety rules. It then called for stronger enforcement, more closures where needed, prosecution of operators who broke environmental laws, and continuous monitoring of battery-recycling plants across the country.
The Senate directed the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to send emergency medical teams to Ogijo. These teams are to offer free tests for lead exposure, provide treatment for poisoned residents, and manage cases involving children who require chelation therapy or long-term care. The Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA were also instructed to begin full environmental cleanup, covering soil, water, air, and household dust.
Lawmakers further asked the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and other relevant agencies to enforce strict safety rules for all lead-processing and battery-recycling factories in Nigeria. They also requested the creation of a National Lead Poisoning Response and Remediation Task Force under NEMA. The Committee on Legislative Compliance was told to monitor all actions taken and report back within six weeks.
The Senate called the Ogijo outbreak a preventable disaster and urged authorities at every level to treat it as a warning about the dangers of industrial pollution, weak oversight, and the need to protect communities from harmful waste.