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The federal government, Thursday, launched a five-year strategic plan for the elimination of lead poisoning in Nigeria, saying an estimated 80 million children are currently exposed to the toxic substance.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, unveiled the plan in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week with the theme: “From Detection to Prevention,” which also marked the official dissemination of the national framework.
Salako said lead poisoning remains a major public health and environmental challenge affecting multiple body systems, with children, pregnant women and women of child-bearing age most vulnerable.
He said exposure could have serious and lasting consequences, often without immediate obvious symptoms, making prevention, early detection and timely action critical.
The minister said the government has adopted a multi sectoral approach through the Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Elimination, which brings together relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners and stakeholders to coordinate national response.
He cited evidence from Lagos, Ogun, Sokoto and Zamfara states which showed different pathways of exposure and the need for locally responsive interventions.
He said environmental investigations and Blood Lead Level assessments in Lagos informed the development of a State Lead Prevention and Control Action Plan, while the Ogijo experience in Ogun state underscored the need for environmental and occupational controls and responsible battery recycling.
“These experiences reinforce a fundamental lesson: we cannot treat our way out of lead poisoning; we must prevent exposure wherever possible,” Dr Salako said.
He said the theme: “From Detection to Prevention” reflects Nigeria’s shift from merely identifying cases to systematically preventing exposure at source.
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