The Senate on Thursday expressed grave alarm over a fast-spreading lead-poisoning crisis in Ogijo, a densely populated community straddling the boundary between Ikorodu (Lagos) and Ogun East Senatorial District.

It described it as a full-blown environmental and public-health emergency that threatened thousands of lives.

The motion, jointly sponsored by Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East) and Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East), was brought under Matters of Urgent Public Importance pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2023 (as amended).

Lawmakers cited scientifically verified reports of extreme lead contamination linked to a cluster of used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating in the area for years.

According to the Senate, the crisis had left residents battling persistent headaches, abdominal pain, memory loss, seizures, and developmental delays in children, symptoms strongly associated with chronic lead exposure.

The chamber noted with concern that the Federal Government had already begun clampdowns, with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, shutting down seven battery-recycling factories and ordering a temporary halt to lead-ingot exportation pending safety investigations.

Senators said they were “alarmed that residents have for several years complained of persistent headaches, abdominal pains, loss of memory, seizures, cognitive decline, and developmental delays in children, symptoms strongly associated with chronic lead exposure.”

Despite years of community protests, the smelters allegedly continued operating openly, releasing toxic fumes and particulate dust into surrounding homes, markets and playgrounds.

“It is regrettable that despite years of community outcry, smelter furnaces continued operating, discharging toxic fumes from melted batteries directly into surrounding neighbourhoods. We are concerned that while some factory operators deny wrongdoing, community exposure remains extreme.

“The Senate acknowledges and commends the proactive efforts of the Lagos and Ogun State Governments and their relevant ministries and agencies for conducting early inspections, raising community awareness and working with federal authorities to contain the exposure,” lawmakers said.

The chamber further cited disturbing findings by independent testing commissioned by The Examination and The New York Times, which revealed severe contamination in both residents’ blood samples and soil within the industrial cluster.

Some environmental samples, senators noted, showed lead levels “up to 186 times the global maximum safety threshold.”

A major dimension of the scandal, lawmakers said, was that lead processed in Ogijo had already been traced into international supply chains, reaching global battery and automobile manufacturers who either did not address the findings or relied solely on assurances from Nigerian suppliers.

The Senate lamented that while some factory operators deny wrongdoing, community exposure remains dangerously high amid weak accountability and gaps in Nigeria’s regulatory frameworks.

Senators nonetheless praised emergency actions taken by the Lagos and Ogun state governments, commending their early inspections, public-awareness campaigns and support for affected families.

Citing Sections 14(2)(b) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution, the Senate emphasised the government’s responsibility to safeguard citizens’ welfare and ensure a safe environment.

Following extensive deliberations, the Senate resolved to commend both the Federal Government and the Lagos and Ogun State Governments for their swift intervention in shutting down non-compliant lead-recycling factories.

Lawmakers urged continued enforcement, including factory closures, export suspensions, prosecution of violators, and strengthened industrial safety monitoring.

The chamber mandated the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to deploy emergency medical teams to Ogijo to provide free toxicology screenings, blood-lead management, chelation therapy, and ongoing treatment for affected children and adults.

Simultaneously, the Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA were directed to carry out comprehensive environmental remediation, mapping soil, groundwater, air, and household dust contamination.

The Senate also called on the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and relevant regulatory agencies to enforce strict compliance standards for battery-recycling and lead-processing operations nationwide.

Additionally, it recommended establishing a National Lead Poisoning Response and Remediation Task Force within NEMA and directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor progress and report back within six weeks.

The Senate described the Ogijo crisis as a preventable tragedy that must serve as a national wake-up call on industrial pollution, regulatory failure and the urgent need to protect vulnerable communities from hazardous waste.

President Bola Tinubu has nominated a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, announcing Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who resigned from the position on Monday due to health reasons.

In his letter to the Senate, the President expressed confidence in Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.

The nomination was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The statement added, “General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

“General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

“In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.

“In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.”

South Africa has begun administering lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention drug, to selected individuals as part of a new study led by Wits RHI at the University of the Witwatersrand and funded by Unitaid.

The move comes just five months after the US Food and Drug Administration granted its first approval for the drug’s use in HIV prevention.

Lenacapavir has shown remarkable results in clinical trials, offering near-complete protection against HIV and outperforming existing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options.

The injectable drug is taken twice a year and was initially projected to cost about $28,000 per user annually.

However, a pricing deal brokered by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), working alongside Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Unitaid, the Gates Foundation, and Wits RHI, has slashed the cost to about $40 — a reduction aimed at making the drug affordable in low- and middle-income countries.

In a statement on Monday, Unitaid said the study will provide the Department of Health with the evidence they need to adapt quickly and in real time as they integrate lenacapavir into existing HIV prevention programs.

“These early learnings on real-world use will also apply to other countries adopting lenacapavir,” the statement reads.

“Making new medicines widely available in low- and middle-income countries can take up to a decade or longer as regulatory approvals must be obtained, manufacturing must be secured, and prices must come down.

“Global momentum behind lenacapavir has set the drug on a rapid trajectory: South Africa registered the drug in record time in late October, followed by Zambia in November, and the first doses have already been delivered in Zambia and Eswatini through The Global Fund and PEPFAR. Broader rollout in early adopter countries is expected in early 2026.”

Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s minister of health, said the country is working with relevant stakeholders to make lenacapavir available to the most vulnerable populations who are at higher risk of HIV infections.

“These early efforts from Unitaid and Wits RHI will help us fine-tune how lenacapavir is delivered through our health system so we can reach as many people as possible with this new Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) option, especially adolescent girls, young women, and pregnant and breastfeeding women,” he said.

In Brazil, a similar study led by Fiocruz is also underway.

Insights and tools from the Fiocruz study in Brazil will help guide rollout strategies within the country and across Latin America.