The Senate on Thursday warned of a rapidly worsening lead-poisoning outbreak in Ogijo, a crowded community on the Lagos–Ogun boundary, describing the situation as an environmental and public-health emergency threatening thousands.
The alert followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senators Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru of Lagos East and Gbenga Daniel of Ogun East. They told the chamber that verified scientific tests had linked dangerous levels of lead contamination to several used lead-acid battery recycling plants operating in the area.
Lawmakers said residents had been exposed for years to toxic fumes and dust from the smelters, with many reporting persistent headaches, abdominal pain, memory loss, seizures, and developmental delays in children, symptoms strongly associated with chronic lead poisoning.
The chamber noted that the Federal Government had already begun enforcement action. Minister of State for Labour and Employment Nkeiruka Onyejeocha recently sealed seven battery-recycling factories and ordered an immediate suspension of lead-ingot exports while safety reviews continue.
Senators cited findings from independent tests commissioned by The Examination and The New York Times, which recorded severe contamination in soil and in residents’ blood samples. Some samples, they said, showed lead levels more than 180 times above internationally accepted safety limits.
They added that community protests had repeatedly been ignored while smelter furnaces continued operating openly, releasing hazardous emissions into homes, markets and playgrounds.
The Senate expressed concern that lead processed in Ogijo had entered international supply chains, reaching global battery and automobile manufacturers. Some companies, lawmakers said, did not address the findings, relying instead on assurances from Nigerian suppliers.
The chamber praised early intervention efforts by Lagos and Ogun State authorities, including inspections, public-awareness drives and support for affected households.
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After deliberations, senators commended the Federal Government for shutting non-compliant factories and called for sustained enforcement, including further closures, export suspensions and prosecution of violators. They mandated the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to deploy emergency medical teams to provide free toxicology tests, blood-lead treatment and long-term care for affected residents.
The Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA to conduct full environmental remediation, including mapping soil, water, air and household-dust contamination. It further instructed the Ministry of Solid Minerals to enforce stricter safety standards for battery-recycling nationwide.
Lawmakers recommended the creation of a National Lead Poisoning Response and Remediation Task Force under NEMA and asked the Committee on Legislative Compliance to report progress within six weeks.
The Senate said the Ogijo crisis represents a preventable disaster and urged stronger nationwide safeguards against industrial pollution.