By Joy Odor, Abuja
The Federal Government has fired the first major shot in the battle against one of Nigeria’s deadliest but least visible public health crises, “Lead Poisoning” with the inauguration of a National Inter-Agency Working Group and the unveiling of a Five-Year Strategic Plan to eliminate the scourge.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, at a two-day workshop in Abuja, described the launch as “a historic milestone in safeguarding public health and protecting the future of Nigerian children.”
“Lead poisoning is not just an environmental concern; it is a public health crisis that silently erodes the well-being of our children, causing irreversible brain damage and life-long disabilities,” Pate declared.
Nigeria has endured some of the world’s deadliest outbreaks of lead poisoning:
2010 Zamfara tragedy, over 400 children died, thousands left with permanent brain damage.
2015 Niger State outbreak, hundreds more poisoned.
Fresh cases in 2024, reported in Zamfara and Sokoto, proving the crisis is far from over.
Experts warn that lead poisoning remains an invisible epidemic, crippling children’s development, reducing IQ, and causing hypertension, kidney failure, and infertility in adults.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced an aggressive strategy, including:
Provision of advanced diagnostic equipment like lead care machines and spectrophotometers.
Chelation therapy treatment support in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Soil remediation and cleanup of contaminated communities.
Active surveillance and community education to prevent new outbreaks.
The newly inaugurated National Inter-Agency Working Group will coordinate ministries, agencies, civil society, and development partners to strengthen surveillance, enforce regulations, and mobilize financing for sustainable solutions.
Key partners include UNICEF, WHO, NAFDAC, NESREA, SON, Resolve to Save Lives, and MSF.
Dr. Ganiyu Jamiyu, Chief Consultant Epidemiologist at the Ministry, issued a stark warning:
“Lead poisoning in children causes irreversible brain damage, mental retardation, life-long disability, and in many cases, death. We must act now to save this generation.”
Mrs. Adegbite Olufunmilola, National Coordinator for the Lead Elimination Programme, confirmed that the validated National Policy and Five-Year Strategy Plan will soon be officially launched and implemented nationwide.
“With stronger collaboration, enforcement, and community awareness, Nigeria can and must achieve lead elimination,” she stressed.
As artisanal mining expands and environmental pollution worsens, the danger of lead exposure continues to spread.
The government’s five-year master plan signals the most ambitious step yet to confront the crisis, but experts caution that without strict enforcement and funding, the battle may already be half-lost.
For Nigeria, this is not just a health fight, it is a war for the survival, intelligence, and future of its children.
