For our partners in Nigeria, this year’s International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week was an important opportunity to spread the word about this deadly health threat. Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) supported activities led by the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv) and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) to mark the week, including a national stakeholder event, a ministerial press briefing and awareness road walk led in Abuja.
At the stakeholder event hosted by FMEnv, the Honourable Minister, Balarabe Lawal, represented by Bahijjahtu Abubakar, Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, emphasized that Nigerians, especially those in rural and mining communities, remain at high risk of lead exposure from contaminated soil, artisanal mining, unsafe recycling practices, and lead-based consumer products. He noted that the commemoration served as a call to national reflection and renewed commitment to safeguard the health of Nigerians, particularly children, from the devastating effects of lead exposure.
At FMoH&SW’s press briefing, the Coordinating Minister, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, described lead as a “silent but deadly threat” that undermines Nigeria’s human capital development. He stressed that children are the most vulnerable and that lead exposure causes irreversible neurological damage, reduced IQ, behavioral challenges in children, and chronic health problems in adults, including hypertension, kidney disease, and reproductive complications.
The briefing was followed by a road walk to raise public awareness, which engaged government officials, partners, and advocates to promote preventive measures, safe practices, and community education.
Nanlop Ogbureke, Executive Director of RTSL Nigeria, commended the Nigerian government for its leadership in strengthening coordination across sectors, improving public awareness, and building capacity for surveillance and testing. She said, “No child should be denied the opportunity to thrive because of preventable exposure to a toxic substance.” She reaffirmed RTSL’s commitment to collaborating with government agencies, regulatory institutions, and community partners to strengthen laboratory detection capacity and support evidence-based policies to reduce lead exposure in consumer products.