World Environment Day: Ogun communities protest over air pollution, demand green recycling

Leveraging on the theme of this year’s World Environment Day celebration- Beat Air Pollution- residents of Ipetoro and Ewu-Eruku in Sagamu South Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested over the alleged continuous air and water pollution as a result of recycling activities of Monarch Steel Mills Limited located in their community.

The protesters, representing the two communities including women and school children gathered in the community on Friday June 6, 2019 to mark the WED 2019 supported by Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria) a non-governmental organization, after which they peacefully matched to Monarch Steel Mills gate to express their displeasure over the negative impacts of the company’s activities on their health and environment.

Placards with various inscriptions such as Monarch, please go green; Government save us from industrial pollution; Our kids deserve clean air; Clean air is our fundamental human right; Save our environment now; Green recycling not brown recycling among others were boldly displayed by the protesters.

Spokesperson for the two communities, Pastor Rufus Noel said they were out to protest and demand a stop to the activities of the company that is polluting the air and water in their communities.

He said for more than six years, the communities have being bearing the excruciating impacts of emissions from the facility. He explained that whenever the facility is in operation, the whole communities will be billow with emission.

He added that the communities had written series of letters to National Environmental Standard Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) on the issue and that nothing serious has been done to address the issue.

“We have to close our windows day and night. The children are falling sick, plants are dying. We are not saying they should stop work but control their emission”, he said.

Mrs. Babalola Olayinka said the organization should come to their aid as the emission from the facility is affecting them particularly the children. She said “We don’t want our children to fall sick any more”.

Ogundare Dolapo, one of the school children who participated in the protest, appealed to Monarch Steels Mills Limited management to find solution to emission that emanate from their activities, adding that sometimes smoke from the facility covers their school and affects their academic activities.

A resident of one of the communities, Adebayo Adesina, said the problem is not just air and noise pollution but also contamination of underground water.

According to him, a recent study carried out by some post graduate students from University of Lagos revealed that the underground water is polluted.

“Children are coming up with strange ailments. The regulatory authority is not doing anything about the activities that is injurious to the host communities”.

Executive Director, SRADev Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, whose organization supported WED celebration in the communities to raise awareness and sensitise the residents on effects of air pollution said they have being working with them for about six years as a result of total neglect.

He explained that most of the companies located in the route are major polluters.

Adogame said although recycling is acceptable everywhere, but the organization say no to brown recycling practice by Monarch and demands for green recycling.

“Our recent survey carried out between September 2018 and February 2019, at the new Lagos-Ogun state industrial corridor – Ikorodu and Ogijo communities, revealed that about 90% of industries operating in those locations (mostly owned by Chinese and Indians) are operating below the required environmentally accepted standard.

“These companies openly release toxic substances into the atmosphere and ecosystem, in the name of recycling, while government regulatory agencies look the other way. Our finding substantiates that “instead of ‘green recycling’, incessant ‘brown recycling’ activities takes place all over, we are stunned by how these complacent industries impact on the nation’s already huge uncalculated environmental and occupational costs. This unwrapping of the recycling industries’ ‘dirty little secret’ was met with shock and dismay”, said Adogame.

“Our survey also revealed that babies, school children, women in these poorer communities are those most exposed to the recalcitrant pollutants. From our survey, “the country is presented with a nightmarish vision of where another lifestyle of ‘toxic colonialism’ and unregulated industry can lead us”, said Mr. Victor Fabunmi, Senior Programme Officer.

For more than three hours when the protest took place, human and vehicular movements in and out of the facility came to a standstill as the protesters singing solidarity songs were adamant that they would not leave the gate until the head of the organization comes out to address them on their plight.

Faced with the resolute decision of the protesters, management of the organization sought the help of the Baale in the area who sent his representatives and Police officers to intervene in the issue.

The development later gave way to a dialogue as the organization requested for a meeting with the Baale representatives and the communities’ representatives.

General Manager of Monarch Steel Mills, Mr. Vikas K.  after the meeting said the organization had discussed with the communities representatives and that another meeting has been slated for Tuesday (tomorrow) to further their discussion.

Asked to respond to the allegations of the communities, he said he is not the technical officer and would not be able to make any comment on the allegations.

The  World Environment Day is celebrated June 5 every year.