Senate Orders Nationwide Crackdown as Lead Poisoning Hits Lagos

The Senate has raised alarm over a fast-spreading lead-poisoning outbreak in Ogijo, a densely populated community between Ikorodu in Lagos and Ogun East, describing it as a full-scale environmental and public-health emergency.

The motion, sponsored by Senators Tokunbo Abiru and Gbenga Daniel under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, cited verified reports linking the crisis to used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating in the area for years.

Lawmakers noted that residents have been suffering symptoms associated with chronic lead exposure, including persistent headaches, abdominal pain, memory loss, seizures, and developmental delays in children.

The Senate also observed that the Federal Government had already begun clampdowns, with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment shutting down seven battery-recycling factories and suspending lead-ingot exports pending safety investigations.

Senators expressed concern over findings from independent testing, which revealed dangerously high lead contamination in blood samples and soil within the industrial cluster, with some samples showing levels up to 186 times global safety limits.

“It is regrettable that despite years of community outcry, smelter furnaces continued operating and releasing toxic fumes into surrounding homes and markets. Community exposure remains extreme, and the denial by some operators cannot override the scientific evidence before the Senate,” lawmakers said.

“We commend the swift interventions of both Lagos and Ogun State Governments, whose early inspections, awareness campaigns and collaboration with federal agencies have been critical in containing the spread of this preventable tragedy,” the Senate added.

The chamber directed the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC to deploy emergency medical teams for free toxicology screening and treatment, while also mandating the Ministry of Environment and NESREA to conduct full-scale environmental remediation and ordering stricter national enforcement on battery-recycling operations.