ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION,OGUN SHUT ANOTHER INDUSTRY

 By Yusuf Olatunji 

As part of its continued efforts at enthroning proper environmental governance in the state,the Ogun State government has shut an agro- processing company, Supreme Agro Limited in Igbesa, Ado Odo Local Government Area for serious industrial pollution that have destroyed the ecosystem of their host community.

In ordering the closure of the company after several complaints from the Igbesa Community and subsequent verification and warnings by the Ogun State Environmental Task Force, Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya said the company despite their earlier denial was found guilty of industrial pollution as it discharges its untreated waste water into the community which has greatly affected the well-being of residents of the area.

According to the Commissioner, rather than installing effluent plants that would contain the waste water and remove the hazardous components and restore it back to a safe level before discharging them to surrounding water bodies,the company bye- passed the plant and discharge the waste water directly into the community which not constitute an eyesore but impacted negatively on the environment.

"This is a very selfish and callous behavior on the part of the company because these waste water have hazardous components such as heavy metals in them as well as carcinogenic materials and chemicals which when they get to the environment becomes injurious to the people leading to unwarranted deaths "

The state government will not look away from such behavior which will impact on the well-being on the residents of their host community " Oresanya   submitted

He therefore said that the company will remained shut until it restores the environment back to normal and be more responsible in their production processes and carry their host community along with their level of remediation.

The Commissioner also praised the Igbesa Traditional Council for notifying the state government of the unethical environmental practices of the company urging other councils, communities, residents and public spirited individuals to join the state government in enthroning proper environmental governance statewide.

Oresanya also used the opportunity to warn companies operating in the state that while the government will continue to provide enabling environment for them to operate as the industrial capital of the country,it will not tolerate any carelessness in their production processes adding that they must be straight and do the right things all the times as the state government will always reward companies that operates in accordance to global environmental best practices.