The federal government has shut down two factories in Ogun State after identifying severe safety and health violations.
During a routine inspection on Monday, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, condemned the hazardous conditions at the facilities, calling them “dehumanising and completely unacceptable.”
The firms — True Metals Nigeria Limited, a battery-recycling plant, and Phoenix Steel Mills Limited — both located along the Ikorodu–Sagamu industrial corridor, were ordered sealed indefinitely.
At True Metals Nigeria Limited, the minister cited workers’ direct exposure to lead emissions, a lack of automation, and poor hygiene as grounds for the closure. She noted that previous warnings and training had been ignored, saying:
“Many of these factories care only about making money, regardless of whose health is damaged … We cannot claim to be creating jobs while endangering our people. Life has no substitute.”
At Phoenix Steel Mills, she described the internal roads as impassable, with stagnant water and inadequate drainage — conditions she labelled “a clear violation of the Factory Act.”
Onyejeocha also warned that the ministry will intensify inspections across the country and shut down any factory found compromising worker safety. “Workers are treated like they are not human beings… that era is over,” she declared.
The closures mark a firm enforcement of occupational safety rules under the current administration’s regulatory agenda.
