The Ogun State Waste Management Authority has shut down a paper processing company called Quantum Packaging Nigeria Limited. This company is located along the Lusada-Igbesa Road in Agbara, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area. They are accused of running an illegal dumpsite and burning waste.
PUNCH Metro got this information from a statement released by the Ogun State Waste Management Authority on Monday.
According to the agency, the company was sealed for breaking Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020 and the Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006. These laws forbid open-air waste burning and dumping refuse without permission.
The statement explained that after the enforcement action, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Mr Farouk Akintunde, said the company was found during checks on facilities suspected of causing environmental problems.
This enforcement is part of the state government’s push to stop careless waste disposal, open-air burning, and other environmental issues in Ogun State.
Akintunde mentioned that the authority had already warned the company about their waste disposal methods. He noticed during a visit that waste was dumped on their premises instead of being given to authorized waste collectors.
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.”
He continued, “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 head of OGWAMA said the activities of the company are a serious threat to the environment and the health of local residents. This is especially concerning due to the risks that come with open-air burning of waste.
Akintunde noted that the state government is committed to protecting the environment while also keeping a friendly business environment for companies in Ogun. He added that the government cannot allow businesses to operate at the cost of public health and environmental safety.
He stated that the company would remain closed until it stops using the illegal dumpsite and comes up with a plan to clean up the waste that has built up.
“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.
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