ABEOKUTA — The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) has sealed Dahua Paper Company Limited, located at Owiwi Village, near Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, for allegedly operating an illegal dumpsite and engaging in open burning of waste.
The company was shut by OGWAMA enforcement officials for allegedly violating provisions of the Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 and Section 2b(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020.
The relevant environmental laws prohibit individuals and corporate organisations from engaging in the indiscriminate disposal and open burning of waste, practices capable of posing serious risks to public health and the environment.
Leading the enforcement team to the company’s premises, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Hon. Farouk Akintunde, said the action followed months of surveillance, monitoring and intelligence gathering on the company’s waste disposal activities.
Akintunde said the company was allegedly caught operating an illegal dumpsite opposite its factory, where waste generated from its operations was being dumped and subsequently burnt.
He explained that OGWAMA’s intelligence was further corroborated when enforcement officials discovered the company allegedly pushing waste from the dumpsite into a nearby river, raising concerns over the contamination of water bodies and underground water sources.
According to him, the affected river serves communities in the surrounding villages, making the alleged activities a potential threat to the health and wellbeing of residents.
“To confirm our intelligence report about them, the company was found operating at the illegal dumpsite, pushing the waste into a river at the end of the dumpsite, thereby contaminating the water bodies and polluting the underground water.
“The river serves nearby villages, hence putting the health of the villagers in danger.”
The OGWAMA boss added that two trucks allegedly used by the company to convey and dispose of its waste at the illegal dumpsite were also intercepted at the location and confiscated by the Authority.
Akintunde said the company would remain sealed pending the conclusion of the necessary enforcement and legal processes, stressing that the government would not compromise on environmental protection and public health.
He warned companies, businesses and individuals involved in illegal waste disposal or open burning to desist from the practice or risk sanctions under the law.
He urged waste generators across the state to register with OGWAMA and adopt approved waste disposal channels to ensure proper management of waste and protect the environment.
Akintunde further warned that the Authority would continue its monitoring and enforcement operations across the state, stressing that operators of illegal dumpsites and those involved in indiscriminate waste disposal would face the full weight of the law.
