The Ogun State Government has shut down four companies over industrial accidents and safety violations across the state.
Among the companies are Quantum Steel Industry in Ogijo and Xinfeng Plastics Limited along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A statement by the Ogun State Ministry of Environment says Quantum Steels was shut down for an Industrial explosion which resulted in fatalities with some victims still hospitalized.
While Xinfeng Plastics was equally closed down after a machine operator Ishaku Monday lost his life due to electrocution.
In closing down the two companies, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) Farook Akintunde said the government decided to shut down the companies for investigations.
“As a government, we are determined to conduct credible and diligent investigations including inviting external safety experts to get to the root cause of these incidents in the overriding public interest and safety,” Akintunde who doubles as the Chairman of the State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement said.
“What is even painful is that despite state government’s regular visits to these companies just like others statewide to educate them on the need to adhere strictly to safety procedures, such incidents still occurred within their production lines that resulted in fatalities, so the need to close them down”.
The special adviser added the two companies will remain shut until investigations are concluded and new safety protocols are entrenched.
He warned other companies in the state to take the safety of their workers especially those in the production lines paramount as the state government will not only close down any erring company with such an occurrence but will also blacklist them.
Similarly, the State Government has equally closed down two other companies, Wemco Nigeria Limited at Magboro along the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway and Beautiful Fibre at Ogere also along the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway.
Wemco Nigeria Limited was allegedly found guilty of obstructing state officials from performing their official assignment of investigating an erosion dispute between them and their immediate community development while Beautiful Fibre was found guilty of exposing its workers to hazardous chemicals by not providing them with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) despite several warnings by state government officials during routine visits to the companies.
The two companies are also to remain shut until they comply with government directives.
