A United States-based environmental health professional, Omotolani Deborah Oyelade, has uncovered alarming levels of soil and groundwater contamination in Owode-Arepo, a fast-growing settlement located along the disputed border between Lagos and Ogun states.
According to her study, the community-largely dependent on untreated groundwater-shows the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of toxic chemicals associated with cancer, endocrine disruption and developmental complications.
The finding represents the first documented case of PFAS contamination in any Nigerian border community, drawing attention to an environmental health crisis that has remained invisible for years.
Oyelade’s assessment warns that the contamination poses significant public health risks to residents, especially given the absence of environmental monitoring and the region’s long-standing governance dispute, which has contributed to regulatory neglect.
According to her, the research seeks to determine what contaminants are present in the soil and groundwater, what are the associated public health risks and how does the governmental jurisdictional conflict contributes to the persistence of contamination.
‘This work fills a significant gap in Nigerian environmental health literature, where PFAS monitoring and regulatory frameworks are underdeveloped. It provides the first comprehensive case study integrating field sampling, laboratory chemical analysis, community interviews, and regulatory framework assessment.
‘Preliminary findings indicate the presence of PFAS compounds and other chemical pollutants in both soil and groundwater used by residents, suggesting chronic exposure risks. The jurisdictional dispute between Lagos and Ogun States is shown to have created a void in coordinated environmental oversight, exacerbating contamination and leaving residents without support,’ she said.
She pointed out that findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened regulatory systems, targeted monitoring, and coordinated governmental intervention to protect vulnerable populations, stressing that research provides evidence that environmental contamination in underserved border communities is a national public health concern and offers a model for broader environmental health reforms in Nigeria.