Experts demand urgent action on air pollution in Nigeria

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As the world marked Earth Day 2025, widely regarded as a global climate action day, researchers and other stakeholders on Thursday called on policymakers in developing countries—Nigeria in particular—to take immediate and coordinated action against air pollution, describing it as a “silent killer” and one of the gravest public health threats in the 21st century. 

The leading scientists and public health professionals who took turns speaking at the International Summit on Climate Change and Air Pollution in Lagos emphasised the catastrophic health and environmental consequences of poor air quality.

The summit was jointly organised by the Nigerian Heart Foundation, NHF. and Manchester 1824, University of Manchester under the theme: Advancing Air Quality Policy Through Innovation, Research, and Youth Engagement.”

Speaking, a Professor of Public Health at the University of Lagos, Prof Akin Osinogun said Air pollution is not just an environmental hazard but a deadly health crisis.

Osibogun who is also the Executive Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Nigeria said: “It affects the respiratory system, aggravates cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, and is now linked to diabetes mellitus.

He warned that the evidence is overwhelming, and the time to act is now. Osibogun stressed the need for practical, enforced policies tailored to local realities.

“It is not sufficient to tell people not to use firewood without providing affordable alternatives like clean cookstoves or LPG,” he said.

He also cautioned that environmental laws must serve public health, not become revenue tools.

“Vehicle emissions inspections should be about saving lives, not filling coffers,” he added.

Also in an interview with journalists, Professor Obuks Ejohwomu of the University of Manchester recounted the story of the late Ella Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old British girl whose death became the world’s first legally recognised case of air pollution-induced fatality.