Ogun seals company for illegal dumping, waste burning

The dumpsite at the paper processing company, Quantum Packaging Nigeria Limited. Photo: OGWAMA

The Ogun State Waste Management Authority has sealed a paper processing company, Quantum Packaging Nigeria Limited, located along the Lusada-Igbesa Road in Agbara, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, for allegedly operating an illegal dumpsite and burning waste.

PUNCH Metro learnt this from a statement issued by the Ogun State Waste Management Authority on Monday.

The company, according to the agency, was sealed for allegedly contravening Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020 and the Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006, which prohibit open-air waste burning and unauthorised dumping of refuse.

The statement noted that, while speaking after the enforcement action, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Mr Farouk Akintunde, said the company was identified during comprehensive surveillance of facilities suspected of committing environmental infractions.

The enforcement action is part of the state government’s efforts to curb indiscriminate waste disposal, open-air burning and other environmental violations across Ogun State.

Akintunde noted that the authority had previously warned the company against indiscriminate waste disposal after he discovered during a familiarisation visit that waste was being dumped within its premises instead of being handed over to government-accredited waste collectors.

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He said, “As a regulatory body, we are charged with the management and administration of waste, and regrettably, I was here on a familiarisation visit to this particular company where I discovered that they dumped waste indiscriminately inside their factory instead of allowing government-accredited waste collectors to collect and dispose of it properly, and they were subsequently warned to desist.

“This warning led to our surveillance team monitoring their waste disposal, and it was therefore discovered that they operate a very big dumpsite on a large expanse of the land near their factory where a lot of burning was also done to hide their dastardly act, so the authority and the state government had no option but to shut them down.”

The OGWAMA boss said the alleged activities posed a serious threat to the environment and the health of residents, particularly because of the dangers associated with open-air waste burning.

According to him, the state government remained committed to protecting the environment while maintaining a business-friendly climate for companies operating in Ogun.

He added that the government could not allow businesses to operate at the expense of public health and environmental safety, noting that the company would remain sealed until it stopped operating the illegal dumpsite and developed a remediation plan to clear the accumulated waste.

“The company will not be opened until they shut down the illegal dumpsite and put up a remediation plan to rid the dumpsite of all waste before the state can think of unlocking the company,” he concluded.