The Ogun State Government through its Waste Management Authority, has sealed off two Chinese companies for allegedly contravening the environmental laws of the state.
This actions came amid legal battle between some Chinese investors and the Federal and Ogun State Governments over breach of contract which has resulted in court granting the complainant request to auction property to Nigeria abroad.
It was learnt that the face-off formed part of reasons President Bola Tinubu left the country for China, to resolve the issue before it degenerated and cripple the bilateral ties between both nations.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Sunday, the Authority said it took the action after several warnings to the companies fell on deaf ears.
The government said the companies also refused to engage accredited waste collectors to properly manage their waste.
The companies are Yibao Industrial Limited located at Bara Village along the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway and Ronchang Industrial Park, opposite Julius Berger yard Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Managing Director of the Authority, Abayomi Hunye, led an enforcement team to seal the companies.
He accused the Chinese companies of littering their premises with wastes which contravene Section 17 of the Ogun State Waste Management Law 2020.
According to him, the two companies were also found guilty of engaging the services of unaccredited waste collectors to evacuate their waste in contravention of section 17 of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority Law of 2020.
“The essence of shutting them down is to ensure that they comply with the standard ways of managing wastes in the state,” he said
“We have served them several notices and warnings and they refused to comply. We have even gone to their premises for inspections severally to counsel them to clean their environment and engage government-approved waste collectors but they were unyielding.
“They both engage unaccredited waste collectors who cannot manage their waste. That is why their premises are dirty thereby exposing residents of the state to unnecessary odour and possible underground water infections from their untreated waste.
“So we have no alternative than to shut them down in the overriding public interest as their behaviour and action smacks of gross disrespect to constituted authority especially from companies owned by foreigners who are hellbent on destroying our environment,” he said.
Hunye warned that any company found guilty of similar violations would be sanctioned whether it is owned by Nigerians or foreigners.
