Members of the Divine Mercy and Isokan Community Development Associations in Ogunrun Ori community, Pakuro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have lamented the continued pollution of the area by a metal smelting company, AusonicInterbiz Limited.
We learnt that the problem started in 2013 when the firm began operation in the community.
Our correspondent learnt during a visit to the community that the pollution allegedly from the firm’s factory was affecting water supply to the area.
Some residents were also said to have abandoned their homes due to noise from the factory.
The Chairman, Divine Mercy CDA, Sunday Gbokiki, who stated that officials of the state Ministry of the Environment visited the community and shut down the company two weeks ago, noted that despite this, some workers were still in the complex.
He expressed fear that the company might begin operation soon.
Gbokiki said, “The owner of the company bought the land in 2013 and said he wanted to build a warehouse there, but when he started construction, we noticed that what was being erected was not a warehouse and when we confronted him, he started negotiating with us that we should sell our land to him, because what he wanted to do would affect buildings, but we told him that he could not do such a thing in a residential area.
“He started smelting metals like aluminium and brass in 2013, and whenever the machines were working, all the buildings in the community would start shaking and the entire street would be filled with smoke and we won’t be able to sleep. We reported to the state Ministry of the Environment and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and the company was asked to stop operation.
“Operation was stopped for two years and all of a sudden in 2019, the owner of the company came back to the community and said he would not be smelting metals again, but would rather produce bottled water; but to our amazement, he started smelting metals and when we summoned him to a meeting, he ignored us.”
Another resident of the area, Janet Dayo-Alabi, who stated that her son’s property beside the factory had been vacant for two years, urged the state government to come to the rescue of the community.
She said, “My son’s house that is beside the factory is vacant because of the smoke and noise from the factory. People no longer rent apartments in the house. Three flats are vacant in the house; all the tenants have moved out and for the past two years, nobody has rented the flats.
“There was a time that the oil being used in the factory got into the borehole in the house and we called the owner of the factory, but he didn’t answer us and that was what made us to report to NESREA and the place was locked up, but in December 2018, he came back with a truck filled with empty bottles.
“They dug a pit inside the factory, where they were putting charcoal and plastic bottles, but the smoke started coming out like before and everything returned to normal. We went to the ministry to report and they came to lock the company, but we want the state government to order him to stop work and impose a stiffer penalty if ever he restarts operation.”
The General Secretary of the CDA, Samson Omoloso, stated that the activities of the factory had made residents to suffer health challenges from inhaling toxic smoke.
He said, “It was not up to 15 minutes after the government officials sealed the company that the seal was removed. People are still inside the company and they are not switching on the big generator so as not to attract residents.
“We have started seeing movement around the company; we don’t know if they are employing another method to work. A woman died last year in the community as a result of respiratory complications. So many people are having tests and the results are pointing to the smoke from the factory.”
When the owner of the company, Austin Onyemachukwu, was contacted by PUNCH Metro, he claimed to have stopped operation at the factory since 2016.
He stated, “I have a factory in the community, where I melt aluminium, and when the residents started complaining that it was disturbing them, I decided to shut it down, because the issue was bringing a lot of gang-up. I shut down completely in 2015 and left the place; I tried to make some consultation concerning what I could do that would not affect the community.
“As the place was lying fallow, I decided to use it as a collection centre for brass and we built a small place to melt brass, but the community stated that it didn’t want me to do anything there and when they called me, I told them that I would shut the place down completely.
“I no longer work in the factory, but I have a house there that people live in. I stopped operation at the factory since 2016. I shut down the business because I didn’t want people to start calling me. The place is being used to collect materials, which I supply to other companies that are into aluminum smelting.”
