No fewer than 80 million Nigerian children are exposed to lead poisoning in the country.
The Federal Government raised the alarm on Wednesday in Abuja and called for urgent action to protect children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, gave the warning at the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is “From Detection to Prevention.”
He said Nigeria must stop waiting to treat poisoning and start stopping exposure from the source.
At the event, he launched the Five-Year Strategic Plan on Lead Poisoning Elimination in Nigeria.
He described lead poisoning as a major public health and environmental challenge, noting that exposure could damage multiple body systems and cause serious, lasting health consequences, particularly among children, women of childbearing age and pregnant women.
According to him, the absence of immediate symptoms in some exposed individuals makes prevention, early identification and timely intervention essential to tackling the problem.
He said the Federal Government was strengthening its response through a multisectoral approach involving relevant ministries, departments and agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.
He identified the establishment and operationalisation of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Elimination as a major step towards improving coordination, reviewing emerging evidence and strengthening national interventions.
Salako said experiences from Lagos, Ogun, Sokoto and Zamfara states had revealed different sources and patterns of lead exposure, underscoring the need for interventions tailored to local conditions.
He cited environmental investigations and blood lead assessments in Lagos as important sources of evidence for developing a state action plan on lead prevention and control.
In Ogun State, he said, the experience in Ogijo had highlighted the need for stronger environmental and occupational controls, responsible battery recycling practices, effective regulatory oversight and sustained compliance monitoring.
The minister warned that treatment alone could not resolve the problem, insisting that identifying and controlling sources of exposure must become the centrepiece of Nigeria’s response.
“We cannot treat our way out of lead poisoning; we must prevent exposure wherever possible,” he said.
He advocated the need for stronger environmental surveillance of soil, dust, water and industrial emissions, as well as improved monitoring of products and commodities that may contain lead.
Salako sought enhanced occupational and industrial surveillance and the integration of available information into a national lead exposure surveillance and data-for-action system.
He stressed the need to strengthen regulation and enforcement, adding that existing standards must be monitored while regulatory and technical gaps should be addressed through appropriate requirements.
According to him, testing and enforcement capacity must also be improved, including at points of entry, to ensure that information on lead contamination informs public health and regulatory decisions.
The minister further called for stronger links between the detection of elevated blood lead levels and effective medical and environmental responses.
He said identifying an affected individual should trigger appropriate referral, clinical assessment, environmental investigation, risk reduction and follow-up care.
Salako described the newly launched Five-Year Strategic Plan on Lead Poisoning Elimination in Nigeria as a major step towards coordinated action, improved surveillance, control of environmental and occupational exposure, and stronger accountability.
He disclosed that a costed three-year national roadmap was being developed to translate the plan’s strategic priorities into practical, prioritised and time-bound interventions.
The minister urged federal and state government agencies, development partners, industries, civil society organisations and communities to ensure that the plan was adopted and fully implemented.
He also identified the development of state-specific lead prevention and control action plans for Lagos, Ogun, Zamfara and Sokoto as a priority, noting that local interventions must reflect the sources and pathways of exposure in each state.
Salako said finalising the Lagos State action plan, informed by existing blood lead assessments and children’s environmental health studies, would be particularly important.
He emphasised that communities must play a central role in prevention, urging traditional and religious leaders, researchers, professional bodies, civil society organisations and the media to help educate residents about potential sources of exposure.
He also called on industries to adopt safer production, recycling and waste-management practices, stressing that responsible business operations were essential to protecting public health.
He urged Nigerians to take practical steps to reduce exposure, including avoiding lead-based paint dust, contaminated soil, unsafe water pipes, lead-glazed pottery, certain toys, some cosmetics and traditional remedies that may contain lead.
Workers involved in construction, painting and recycling were advised to wear appropriate protective clothing and avoid bringing contaminated work clothes and footwear into their homes.
Salako also recommended regular handwashing, washing children’s toys and wet-wiping floors and play areas instead of dry sweeping, which can spread contaminated dust.
He warned that children and pregnant women should be kept away from battery recycling sites, repair workshops, painting areas and other places where lead may be released into the environment.
The minister further encouraged the consumption of nutrient-rich foods containing calcium, iron and vitamin C, which can help reduce the body’s absorption of lead.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remained committed to working with stakeholders to move Nigeria from a largely reactive response to a comprehensive and sustainable prevention strategy.
Salako called on participants to ensure that the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week produced practical commitments, stronger surveillance, improved laboratory capacity and measurable progress in protecting Nigerians from avoidable exposure.
He urged stakeholders to translate the new strategic plan into concrete interventions that would safeguard children, protect communities and strengthen the country’s response to lead poisoning.