Weeks after Investigations report, wastewater samples collected from the dysfunctional government‑owned sewage plant inside the Abesan Low‑Cost Housing Estate in Lagos showed a high concentration of toxins dangerous to humans and the ecosystem, ALFRED OLUFEMI reports. In December 2022, residents of the estate complained, prompting Investigations to embark on weeks of fact‑finding that uncovered disturbing evidence of unwholesome activities harming the community’s wellbeing. Operators of the state‑owned sewage plant were accused of prioritising profit over residents’ health, contributing to decades of environmental degradation within the densely populated estate.
Laboratory tests on wastewater samples from various points in the estate revealed that the plant’s practices could predispose residents to cancer, vital‑organ damage, and other debilitating health challenges. On 16 January 2023, Investigations reported that the plant fell short of national and global standards for such facilities. The report, titled “Govt‑owned plant dishes out dangerous chemicals, threatens residents’ health,” chronicled the community’s plight under the plant’s chokehold. Built in the 1990s, the Abesan plant was originally designed to treat wastewater up to the secondary level, including proper disinfection before discharge. However, for nearly a decade most of the treatment equipment has broken down, leaving the community to contend with polluted groundwater and a constant nauseous smell. Untreated wastewater is discharged in its raw state into the Abesan River, which runs directly behind the facility and has tributaries linking several Lagos and Ogun communities. According to Google Maps, the river travels over 10 kilometres through Ayobo in Lagos to Sango Ota in Ogun State, where it joins larger water bodies. A 2011 study in the *Journal of Water Resource and Protection* noted that water from the three‑metre‑deep Abesan River is used for washing, bathing, cooking, and spiritual activities in some of these communities. Until Investigations tested the wastewater, residents could not ascertain the health risks.
The report also detailed how the state government repeatedly raised residents’ hopes by pledging to rehabilitate sewage treatment plants, only to renege on those promises. Helpless residents, community heads, and youths have repeatedly called for intervention, to no avail. Youth leader Ehis Ero told our correspondent that it was high time the state took decisive action, describing the facility as being in a “comatose state.” He recounted numerous engagements with government representatives, noting that residents felt “pushed to the wall.” Ero demanded a solution, questioning how trucks could transport wastewater across Lagos only to discharge it at the plant, and lamented that the plant’s machines were “spoilt” and the site effectively abandoned.
When confronted with Investigations’ findings, Adebola Matanmi, General Manager of the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office (LSWMO), blamed the plant’s decay on the estate’s growing population and claimed that only primary treatment was performed before discharge. Our correspondent pointed out that the wastewater remained toxic after primary treatment. Matanmi responded, “I’m not saying it’s not toxic, but it is limited. It won’t be as toxic as it should be if it were raw.” Laboratory results, however, suggest he downplayed the severity of the situation.
During the investigation, discreetly collected wastewater samples from the discharge point into the Abesan River were sent to UNILAG Consult Laboratory. Over four weeks, the samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and microbiological characteristics. The sealed results revealed high levels of heavy metals—including iron, lead, manganese, and nickel—exceeding limits set by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). For example, iron was measured at 3.0 mg/L, above NESREA’s 2.0 mg/L limit, and lead levels were over 500 % higher than permissible. The report concluded that the wastewater failed to meet NESREA standards for BOD, COD, chloride, ammonia, sulfide, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, total bacterial counts, and E. coli, and therefore must be treated before discharge.
Experts warned that the wastewater poses grave consequences for aquatic life. Clinical microbiologist Dr Mutiu Bamidele explained that the samples contained high levels of decaying plant matter, human waste, and industrial effluent, rendering the Abesan River unsafe for fish and other organisms. He noted that elevated BOD and COD reduce dissolved oxygen, creating anaerobic conditions harmful to higher aquatic life. Public‑health professor Tanimola Makanjuola expressed concern that the chemicals could increase the risk of leukaemia, kidney, liver, brain, pancreas, and prostate cancers, while heavy metals such as nickel threaten the nervous system. Medical expert Dr Olusina Ajidaun warned that high iron and lead levels can damage the brain, kidneys, heart, pancreas, bones, and even cause infertility. She emphasized that consuming fish or crabs from contaminated waters could expose people to these hazards, citing the Minamata disease tragedy as a cautionary example.
When contacted about the findings, NESREA spokesperson Amaka Ejiofor requested an email and later assured that the agency would investigate. “We are on it. You know you have to give us time to investigate,” she wrote via WhatsApp. Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) Public Affairs Officer Bola Ajao said the agency was unaware of the danger and asked for details to forward to the zonal office. A planned site visit for 13 February was cancelled, with Ajao promising to reschedule.
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu approved renovation of the Abesan sewage plant and wastewater infrastructure, disclosed at a stakeholders’ meeting on 15 February. The meeting, attended by LSWMO General Manager Adebola Matanmi, other officials, and estate representatives, outlined a phased rehabilitation: first the sewer networks, then an expansion of the facility later in the year. Matanmi urged residents to support the first phase, set to begin within five days, and to inform estate management of illegal structures on the sewer lines. Olufemi Godman, spokesperson for the Abesan Estate Residents Association, confirmed the government’s promise to construct a 7‑metre‑deep manhole to address blockages, thanking the media and Hon. Abiru of the House of Assembly for their involvement.
Despite the announced renovations, plant operators have not ceased discharging untreated wastewater. After the Investigations report went viral, operators and sewage‑tanker drivers temporarily stopped work, according to community head Baale Buari Adeleye, who said they were later accused of reporting to journalists and returned to normal activities. Youth leader Ero corroborated that the operators resumed operations, causing foul smells that nearly sparked a clash with nearby schoolchildren. He warned that without government intervention, the situation could deteriorate into a law‑and‑order crisis.
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