Senate raises alarm as Lead poisoning crisis engulfs two states

The Senate, on Thursday, raised an urgent national alarm over what lawmakers described as a “widespread and scientifically verified lead-poisoning disaster” devastating Ogijo, a densely populated community that sits between Ikorodu in Lagos and the Ogun East Senatorial District.

Very Nigerian reports that senators warned that the tragedy, traced to toxic emissions from multiple used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating within the area, has escalated into what one lawmaker described as “a full-scale public health emergency silently destroying an entire generation.”

Leading the motion, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, co-sponsored by Senator Gbenga Daniel, described the level of contamination in Ogijo as “an environmental catastrophe of global significance,” noting that laboratory findings revealed lead pollution “as high as 186 times the globally acceptable safety threshold.”

He said testimonies from residents were harrowing, with families reporting persistent headaches, abdominal pains, seizures, memory decline and sharp drops in cognitive function, symptoms that align with long-term lead exposure.

Abiru cited recent investigations by The Examination and The New York Times, saying the revelations left him “deeply disturbed,” especially as independent blood-lead tests and soil analyses confirmed that residents had been inhaling and ingesting poisonous particles for years.

Even more troubling, he said, was evidence that refined lead from the contaminated zone had entered international industrial supply chains.

“Imagine the irony,” he told the Senate. “Contaminated Nigerian lead is feeding the supply lines of major automobile manufacturers abroad, while the local communities that produced this lead are choking and dying slowly under toxic smoke and dust.”

He described the human toll as heartbreaking. “Children are dying slowly,” he said.

“A mother told investigators her child wakes up screaming from constant headaches. Another spoke of violent convulsions. How many more signs do we need before we act?”

Although the Federal Government recently shut down seven recycling factories and suspended the export of lead ingots, Abiru insisted the actions were “only the first step,” stressing that many operators still deny wrongdoing and enforcement remains weak.

He reminded colleagues that beyond environmental statutes, the Constitution places a binding responsibility on government to protect citizens’ health.

“This is not just an environmental issue,” he said. “It is a constitutional duty. The lives and futures of Ogijo’s children must not be traded for toxic profits.”

Co-sponsor Senator Gbenga Daniel warned that Nigeria was gradually creating “sacrifice zones” where companies operate with impunity, believing no one is watching. Senator Saliu Mustapha seconded the motion, describing the Ogijo crisis as a classic case of regulatory failure translating directly into human tragedy.

“If government does not act fast, Ogijo will only be one of many,” he cautioned.

Senator Shuaib Salisu commended the Ogun State Government for providing medical tests and treatment but stressed that border communities like Ogijo often remain neglected.

“People in these areas are usually the first to suffer and the last to be noticed,” he said. Senator Babangida Hussaini urged the Federal Government to broaden its oversight, noting that Ogijo was unlikely to be the only affected community.

For Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the motion struck a personal chord. He recalled a similar tragedy in Akwa Ibom in the 1980s caused by a battery plant. “Suddenly we recorded many deaths,” he said.

“Toxins seeped into the river, and people drank from that same river daily.”

“Life expectancy was not even up to 40 years. People did not know they were dying from lead poisoning.”

Akpabio said he was “deeply moved,” adding: “Lead poisoning kills silently, slowly and painfully. This motion reminds us of the sacred duty we owe our citizens.”

The motion passed overwhelmingly, after which the Senate directed its Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure strict monitoring and timely implementation of all resolutions, with a report due in two months.

Among the directives were emergency medical response, environmental cleanup, enforcement of recycling regulations, relief for severely affected families, and high-level ministerial briefings.

Lawmakers also ordered the creation of a National Lead Poisoning Response and Remediation Office to coordinate nationwide intervention, cleanup, treatment and global traceability of exported lead products.

Concluding the session, Senator Abiru delivered a sobering reminder: “Ogijo is a warning. And if we ignore it, we will be signing death warrants in communities we may never even visit.”

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