Abuja: The Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has taken a decisive step against lead poisoning by inaugurating the National Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Poisoning Elimination in Nigeria and unveiling a five-year strategic plan to tackle the menace.
According to Voice of Nigeria, speaking in Abuja at the opening of a two-day workshop for the finalisation and validation of the strategic plan, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, described the initiative as ‘a historic milestone in protecting public health.’ The Minister stressed that lead poisoning has become a silent but devastating crisis affecting vulnerable populations across Nigeria.
Professor Pate noted that, ‘Lead poisoning is not just an environmental challenge but a severe public health emergency. Lead exposure causes irreversible damage to the developing brain and nervous system, resulting in learning difficulties and life-long disability, while in adults, it contributes to hypertension, kidney dysfunction, and reproductive health problems.’ He emphasized the crisis’s silent erosion of well-being, especially among children, and the necessity of prioritizing its addressal.
Nigeria has faced some of the world’s most tragic outbreaks of lead poisoning. In 2010, in Zamfara State, more than 400 children lost their lives, with many others permanently disabled. Another outbreak followed in Niger State in 2015, while new cases resurfaced as recently as 2024 in Zamfara and Sokoto States. These incidents highlight the urgency of implementing coordinated and sustained interventions.
As part of government efforts, the Ministry has provided laboratory equipment, including lead care machines and spectrophotometer, supported treatment with chelation therapy in partnership with M©decins Sans Fronti¨res (MSF). This is to enhance active surveillance, conduct soil remediation, and intensify community education campaigns.
The new inter-agency working group will harmonize strategies, strengthen surveillance, review policies, build the capacity of health workers, and recommend sustainable financing for long-term interventions. Professor Pate further stressed that eliminating lead poisoning requires a multisectoral approach, involving not only the Ministry of Health but also the Ministries of Environment, Solid Minerals Development, Steel Development, Agriculture, and Water Resources. Regulatory agencies such as NESREA, NAFDAC, and SON, as well as civil society, academia, and development partners including UNICEF, WHO, Resolve to Save Lives, and MSF, were identified as critical partners in the effort.
Professor Pate was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, through Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director and Head of the Health Nutrition Department. Mrs. Adegbite Olufunmilola, Director of Epidemiology and National Coordinator of the Lead Elimination Programme at the Ministry, highlighted the next steps in the national strategy, stating that the Five-Year Strategic Plan and National Lead Elimination Policy, now validated, would soon be launched and implemented nationwide. ‘With stronger collaboration, community awareness, and enforcement, we believe lead elimination in Nigeria can be achieved,’ she affirmed.