The Federal Government has launched a five-year strategic plan to eliminate lead poisoning in Nigeria, with a focus on strengthening prevention, surveillance, regulation and coordinated action to reduce exposure across the country.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced this on Wednesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, themed “From Detection to Prevention.”
Salako described lead poisoning as a significant public health and environmental challenge, warning that children, pregnant women and women of childbearing age were particularly vulnerable to its harmful effects.
He stressed the need to move beyond identifying cases to eliminating or controlling exposure at its sources through effective policies, stronger enforcement and coordinated interventions.
According to the minister, the Five-Year Strategic Plan on Lead Poisoning Elimination provides a national framework for coordinated, multisectoral action to address the problem.
He explained that the plan would strengthen environmental and occupational surveillance, improve laboratory and institutional capacity, enhance regulatory enforcement and establish clearer referral pathways for individuals found to have elevated blood lead levels.
Salako also disclosed that a costed three-year national roadmap was being developed to translate the strategic plan’s priorities into measurable interventions with defined timelines.
He identified the establishment and operationalisation of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Elimination as a major step towards strengthening collaboration among relevant ministries, departments and agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.
The minister said experiences from Lagos, Ogun, Sokoto and Zamfara states had highlighted the need for interventions tailored to local sources and pathways of lead exposure.
He noted that developing state-specific prevention and control action plans for the four states was a critical next step in implementing the national strategy.
Salako particularly emphasised the need to finalise the Lagos State action plan, informed by an assessment of blood lead levels and children’s environmental health already conducted in the state.
He said the state-level plans would address the specific sources of exposure in their respective locations while remaining aligned with the national framework.
FG Seeks Stakeholders’ Support
The minister called on state governments, development partners, industries, civil society organisations, professional bodies, traditional and religious leaders, communities and the media to support the domestication and implementation of the strategic plan.
He stressed that preventing lead poisoning required a whole-of-society approach that extended beyond government institutions.
“Communities are central to prevention, and our efforts must extend beyond government institutions to all of society,” Salako said.
He identified traditional and religious leaders, researchers, professional associations, community-based organisations, industries and the media as critical partners in raising awareness, promoting preventive practices and supporting effective implementation.
Salako Advises Nigerians on Preventive Measures
The minister also urged Nigerians to adopt practical measures to minimise exposure to lead, particularly in homes, workplaces and communities where contamination might occur.
He advised citizens to avoid contact with contaminated soil and dust, use lead-safe products and observe appropriate protective measures during battery recycling, painting and other high-risk activities.
Salako further recommended keeping work clothes and footwear away from living areas, regularly wet-cleaning floors and children’s play areas, and maintaining diets rich in calcium, iron and vitamin C.
He said these measures could help reduce exposure and protect vulnerable populations from the harmful health consequences of lead poisoning.
Reaffirming the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s commitment to the national elimination agenda, the minister called for sustained collaboration to translate scientific evidence into effective policies and practical interventions.
He emphasised that prevention must remain central to efforts to protect children, safeguard communities and reduce the health burden associated with lead exposure.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remains committed to providing the needed leadership and working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria moves decisively from a predominantly reactive response to a comprehensive, preventive and sustainable approach to lead poisoning,” Salako said.
The statement was issued by Ado Bako, Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, on October 21, 2026.
