FIRE OUTBREAK: OGEPA GM VISITS TRADE ZONE SEEK NEPZA COLLABORATION

Following a fire incident at the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone, General Manager, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Hon. Kehinde Bello, has visited Goodmatrass, the facility of the fire outbreak to assess the situation.

Hon. Bello called for closer and urgent collaboration between OGEPA and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), for proper monitoring of the free trade zone to ensure sustainable environmental management practice.

“There is need for OGEPA to carry out its statutory function, to begin to monitor the environmental effect of the free trade zone in the State," he said.

He expressed concern and the tendency of impact of hazardous waste and its poor management, since they were not monitored by the agency, calling for a more coordinated approach between key stakeholders, including local authorities, industrial operators and environmental experts, to ensure that the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone remained a safe and sustainable hub for businesses.

He further highlighted the importance of environmental inspections and stringent safety protocols, particularly in zones where industrial activities were high, while emphasiing the need to grant OGEPA official assess to the zone to carry out their statutory functions.

The GM’s visit signaled a commitment to more proactive measures, ensuring that environmental protection remained a top priority in Ogun state growing industrial sector.

 Luke Adebesin,

Information and Public Relations Officer, OGEPA