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A leading safety advocacy organisation, AfriSAFE has demanded immediate regulatory enforcement and criminal accountability following the May 15 chemical emission in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State which left over 100 students and teachers from at least seven schools hospitalised.
In a statement issued on Monday and sent to SunOnline, AfriSAFE described the incident as “catastrophic”, especially as it marked the second time in less than two months that the children and residents of Ijebu-Ode have been subjected to a toxic atmosphere, following a similar chemical exposure incident just weeks ago in April.
The organisation warned against celebrating the fact that no life was lost in the latest incident as it distracts from the seriousness of the issue.
AfriSAFE said, “Preliminary environmental assessments registered an alarming methane concentration of 13,500 parts per million (ppm) near local school grounds.
“While the state government has noted that victims are recovering, our organisation warns against the dangerous complacency of celebrating ‘no lives lost.’
“This second systemic failure highlights a terrifying reality: the air pollution we can see and smell is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Chief Executive Officer of AfriSAFE, FemiDa-silva said the situation poses pertinent questions that must be answered to forestall disaster in future.
He said, “We must ask ourselves: if visible and pungent emissions are hospitalising hundreds of our children in broad daylight, how many invisible, odorless toxins are quietly creeping into the homes of everyday citizens?
“How many Nigerians are going to sleep healthy, inhaling silent poisons through the night, and passing away without anyone ever connecting their deaths to industrial negligence? People are sleeping and dying unnoticed because our environmental enforcement lacks teeth. This is no longer just a regulatory lapse; it is a profound violation of the fundamental right to life.”
AfriSAFE demanded what it called “fiercer advocacy and ironclad enforcement”, emphasising that the time for so-called “investigations” and political platitudes were entirely over.
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It charged the media to pivot from passive reporting to fierce advocacy, holding both corporate polluters and regulatory bodies accountable.
The organisation said there must an immediate shift from passive monitoring to aggressive enforcement, including the prompt shutdown of any industrial facility operating within residential or school perimeters in the affected axis pending a transparent, independent forensic audit.
It added, “Corporate executives who bypass Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) or violate emission boundaries must face criminal prosecution.
“Fines are no longer a deterrent; they are treated merely as the ‘cost of doing business.'”
AfriSAFE maintained that there must be what it described as a “zero-tolerance” protocol for industrial zoning.
It stressed that the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) must strictly enforce safety buffers between heavy manufacturing zones and educational or residential communities.
“We cannot wait for a mass-casualty event to take decisive action.
“The air our children breathe is non-negotiable.
“We call on the media to join us in demanding that the Ogun State Government treats this as a public safety emergency.
“Shut down the polluters, protect our communities, and let our people breathe,” the organisation said.
