Table of Contents
- Suspension of Consultancy Firms
- Announcement of Suspension
- Culpability Findings
- Audit Review Process
- Next Steps
The Ogun State government has suspended three environmental consultancy firms due to professional negligence and their involvement in the alleged acid battery pollution originating from the closed Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) recycling companies in the Ogijo region of the state.
Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, disclosed the suspension during a review meeting of the Process Audit of the closed companies held in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Environment, State Secretariat, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
The firms affected by the suspension are Vyne Nurt Limited, Core Environmental Services Limited, and Saag Chemicals Nigeria Limited.
According to Oresanya, these three firms, which were associated with the ULAB companies, were found culpable during the audit process. The audit confirmed that several pollution abatement devices that were required to be installed by the companies were missing, and the firms failed to accurately report the condition of the companies to the state government, thereby demonstrating professional negligence.
“The review of the firms' reports on the companies during the audit process indicates that their submissions lacked accuracy in communicating the true situation to the state government,” Oresanya stated.
“To gain a clearer understanding, we invited five consultancy firms involved in the matter and provided them with an opportunity to defend their positions regarding the reporting discrepancies.”
“Two of the environmental consultancy firms managed to offer some explanations which, although not entirely satisfactory, allowed them the chance to rectify their actions. In contrast, the three suspended firms chose to deliberately skip the review meeting, fully aware of their complicity,” Oresanya remarked.
The commissioner emphasized that the state government had no alternative but to suspend these firms from all environmental consultancy activities in the state until they can exonerate themselves from any allegations of complicity arising from the Process Audit of the closed ULAB companies.
He also mentioned that the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Environmental Standards and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) have been informed of this decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the consultancy firms suspended?
The consultancy firms were suspended due to professional negligence and their involvement in the alleged pollution caused by the closed Used Lead Acid Battery recycling companies.
What did the audit process reveal?
The audit process revealed that the consultancy firms failed to install required pollution abatement devices and did not accurately report the situation of the companies to the state government.
What actions will the suspended firms need to take?
The suspended firms must clear their names from any allegations of complicity in the audit findings before they can resume their consultancy services in the state.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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