6th March, 2012
The Lagos State Government has ordered an agro-allied chemical company, Kojem Consortium Nigeria Limited, Anthony Village, to relocate following reported cases of amino-acid chemical spillage at Anthony area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, shut down the company on Olatunji Ayoola Avenue, Anthony following complaint by the management of Green Spring Nursery and Primary School,, located close to the company that the amino-acid spillage was affecting children of the school.
LASEPA General Manager, Rasheed Shabi, led a team to the company at the weekend and ordered it to relocate to the small scale industrial estate, Matori, Lagos.
Shabi said the government shut down the company to save the lives of children in the area.
“We will not allow chemicals to be sold near a primary or high school in the state because of sensitivity of chemicals. Chemicals contained bacteria which can be dangerous to children,” he said.
He warned that the government would impose severe sanction on the company, if it did not relocate.
Shabi said the company had invited a fumigating company to fumigate the area to mitigate the impact of the spillage, adding that a large quantity of amino-acid spillage could lead to respiratory problems.
“We have asked the company to move to the small scale industrial estate at Matori. These chemicals have environmental health challenges. The company is cooperating with us,” he stated.
Spokesperson of the company, Amaka Nwoga admitted that there was a spill but said it was not enough to affect pupils in the school. According to her, if the chemical had spilled in a closet, it would have been a different ball game entirely but that it spilled in small quantity in the open environment, “there is no effect.”
—Kazeem Ugbodaga