A new report publicly unveiled in Lagos earlier this week has exposed the alarming rise in Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State near the Dangote Refinery and called for urgent actions to use data to identify areas at risk of temperature rise in the country
The report, titled: “The Unseen Risk”, was released by the Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI), with detailed findings from its recent study, which analyzed air quality data collected between April and September 2024 in Ibeju Lekki area.
In obtaining the published data, MAJI worked with the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) on engaging local community groups and key personnel in the target communities including Idasho, Itoke, Lekuru, Mosa, Okesegun, Okeyatta, Okunraye and Olomowewe in the Ibeju-Lekki axis.
A total of 8,044 data sampling entries were collected from the communities. The types of air quality data collected and compiled during this period include PM, humidity, pressure and temperature and th Air Quality Index (AQI).
The research showed significant increase in particulate matter, elevated temperatures, and a marked decline in air quality levels across the 10 communities in Lagos.
While speaking with the media at the unveiling, MAJI Executive Director, Okoro Onyekachi Emmanuel, said, the environmental changes, linked to industrial activities around the area, have far-reaching implications for biodiversity, community health, and Nigeria’s commitments to global climate agreements.
Onyekachi noted that while the group acknowledged the economic potential of the industrial activities in the area, it also highlighted contradictions in Nigeria’s energy transition goals.
According to him, “Despite pledging a 20 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 under the Paris Agreement, the country’s continued reliance on fossil fuels exacerbates environmental degradation, even as he added that, Nigeria currently ranks fourth globally in poor air quality and leads Africa in air pollution-related deaths, according to an August 2023 report by Euronews.
The factsheet also addresses the lack of environmental data and tools among stakeholders, including civil society groups and local communities. To bridge this gap, MAJI employed low-cost technology to monitor air quality in real time, providing evidence-based insights for policy development.
He recommended empirical environmental data collection by government agencies; deployment of real-time environmental monitoring systems in the affected communities; baseline health audits for residents near the industrial area; public disclosure of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) reports and promotion of inclusive dialogue between rural communities and stakeholders.
In his comment, RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor said that the research is timely in view of the growing climate crisis in the country as reflected in rising temperatures.
He said there was need for the Nigerian government to adopt recognized approaches in addressing the climate crisis and that data remains a key in any of the approaches adopted.