Nigeria has launched a stakeholder capacity-building drive to phase out Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), which have been linked to poisoning, deaths, and food safety concerns across the country.
At an inception workshop on pesticide use, the Minister of Environment, Mr. Balarabe Lawal, warned that the indiscriminate application of HHPs poses a major threat to public health and agricultural exports.
According to him, systematic reviews had documented at least 24 pesticide-related incidents between 2008 and 2021, causing more than 500 deaths.
Represented by the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Dr. Bahijjahtu Abubakar, the Minister called for stronger policy frameworks, stricter regulations, and wider public awareness campaigns to reduce the risks associated with hazardous pesticides.
Highly Hazardous Pesticides In Global South
“HHPs have been found to be responsible for great damage especially in countries in the Global South, and yet massive amounts of these specifically harmful pesticides are still applied to a vast extent there, including West Africa,” he said.
Abubakar explained that weak regulatory enforcement has allowed pesticides strictly regulated in Europe to remain widely available in Nigeria. He stressed that the government is working to promote safer alternatives.
“Biopesticides and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices should also be explored as sustainable solutions. This project will ensure that the number of pesticide poisoning and suicide deaths in Nigeria are substantially reduced,” he explained.
Abubakar also linked pesticide misuse to Nigeria’s repeated rejection of agricultural exports in international markets, citing residue levels that exceeded permissible limits.
Government agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Environment, Health and Social Welfare, and Agriculture and Food Security, as well as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), are collaborating on measures such as training, regulatory adjustments, and public engagement to improve chemical safety.
CREDIT:VON
