The Ogun State Government has temporarily relocated students of Our Lady of Apostles Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, to an alternative location as investigations into the recent chemical inhalation incident on the school premises intensify.
Governor Dapo Abiodun disclosed this during an on-the-spot assessment of the school, noting that preliminary findings have confirmed the presence of methane gas in the affected area.
The governor explained that the relocation became necessary to safeguard the health and safety of students, teachers, and other members of the school community, while also creating an enabling environment for experts to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the source and cause of the contamination.
He noted that the state government, through the Ministries of Environment and Health, is collaborating with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Department of Geology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, to determine the root cause of the incident.
“Twice now, we have recorded cases of pollution in this school and some neighbouring schools.
“What is interesting is that the gas pollution occurred at about the same time in the affected schools—about three schools altogether—and this has happened on two separate occasions.
“Following the first occurrence, we installed gas analysers across the schools to determine the nature and concentration of the gas, which has now been confirmed to be methane.
“Preliminary findings suggest there may be geological factors involved, possibly fault lines common to these locations, which could be responsible for the emissions.
“We are awaiting the final report from the professionals
