*The Ogun State Government discloses it has sealed off Food Agro and Allied Industries Limited, at Sango-Ota, over serious environmental infractions and disobeying a regulatory order to protect the residents from harmful effects of environmental infractions

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The Ogun State Government has sealed off Food Agro and Allied Industries Limited, located at Kilometre 40, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ijako, Sango-Ota, for committing serious environmental infractions and disobeying a regulatory order.

绿帽献妻 reports the Ogun State Government disclosed the the authorities took the action as part of continued efforts at shielding its residents from harmful effects of environmental infractions which will impact their well-being.

Speaking while shutting down the malted sorghum producing company, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment who doubles as Chairman of the state Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, Alhaji Farook Akintunde, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor of Ogun State on Environment and Chairman of the Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, said the company was found guilty of by-passing its Effluent Treatment Plants.

Akintunde revealed the company rather was releasing its untreated waste-water to its immediate environment, especially to the newly聽 rehabilitated Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The government noted the action was tantamount to wilful destruction of public infrastructure as well as exposing residents of the area to untold hardship in the area.

The governor’s aide also said Food Agro and Allied Industries Limited was equally culpable of degrading the environment through oil spillage, which is not only harmful but will eventually have negative effect on the ground water of its immediate communities.

He also stated: “To worsen issues, the company refused all previous entreaties to make corrections on the noted infractions and flagrantly disobey a stop-work order from the state government.

“The government therefore, had no other alternative than to close down the company in order to restore environmental sanity in the company, and stop it from further degrading its immediate communities.”

Akintunde asserted that the company would remain shut until all the identified infractions which have been brought to their attention are corrected and certified by the state government.

As regulators, the government will not shy away from enforcing needed environmental compliance, he said.

Commending several other industries that operate in environmentally friendly atmosphere in the state, he counselled those who are in the habit of committing environmental infractions to turn over a new leaf as the state government is not interested in shutting down any of them, but to ensure proper environmental governance within the “Gateway State”, in Nigeria.