Lead poisoning: FG to phase out lead paints by 2030

The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to phase out lead-based paints in Nigeria by 2030 as part of efforts to prevent lead poisoning and protect public health.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr Salihu Usman, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

Speaking on the theme, “From Detection to Prevention,” Usman, represented by the Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department, Mrs Omotunde Adeola, said the government was committed to intensifying efforts to eliminate lead exposure and ensure the effective implementation of environmental standards.

He said, “The Federal Government recognises that effective lead prevention requires coordinated action across environmental regulation, public health, product standards, industry practice, occupational safety and community awareness. No single institution can succeed alone.

We must strengthen the systems that identify sources of exposure, control hazardous products, monitor compliance, communicate risks clearly and ensure that appropriate action follows when a problem is detected.
The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to eliminate lead exposure and phase out lead-based paints in Nigeria by 2030.”

He noted that the target required sustained collaboration among government agencies, manufacturers, importers, retailers, construction professionals and consumers to promote safer alternatives and ensure compliance with established standards.

“Standards can protect the public only when they are understood, implemented, monitored, and enforced consistently,” he said.

The permanent secretary described lead poisoning as a serious but largely preventable environmental and public health problem, warning that exposure could cause lasting damage, particularly to children.

There is no known safe level of lead exposure,” he said, adding that lead could affect the neurological, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal and haematological systems.

According to him, children are particularly vulnerable because their bodies and brains are still developing, while exposure could result in impaired intellectual development, learning difficulties and reduced cognitive ability.

He added that pregnant women and workers exposed to lead in certain occupations also faced significant health risks.

Usman said the consequences of lead exposure extended beyond hospitals and laboratories, noting that it could undermine children’s learning abilities, affect family wellbeing, reduce productivity and place additional pressure on health services.

Prevention is therefore not only a health imperative; it is an environmental, social and economic responsibility. No community should have to discover the danger only after children have already been harmed,” he said.

He called for coordinated action across environmental regulation, public health, product standards, industrial practices, occupational safety and public awareness, stressing that no single institution could tackle the problem alone

The permanent secretary said the government would strengthen awareness, improve compliance monitoring and support reliable testing and evidence-based decision-making to prevent exposure.

He also called for stronger cooperation among relevant institutions to identify sources of lead exposure, control hazardous products, monitor compliance and ensure that appropriate action followed whenever a problem was detected.

Usman noted that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced the inauguration of a National Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Poisoning Elimination in September 2025, alongside work on a five-year national strategic plan.

He said the coordination effort was necessary to ensure that environmental controls, public health surveillance, clinical care, laboratory capacity, community engagement and enforcement reinforced one another.

On the significance of the annual commemoration, he said progress should be measured by the extent to which exposure was prevented, unsafe products were removed from use and contaminated sites were properly managed.

“We must turn awareness into sustained action and collaboration into results,” he said.

At the event, awards of recognition were presented to the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal; the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Development, Mrs Omotunde Adeola; the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria; and the Executive Director of the Paint Manufacturers Association.

Other recipients included Paints and Coating Manufacturing Nigeria, Chemicals and Allied Products Plc, Prestige Paint Nigeria Limited and Parco Enterprise Nigeria Limited.

The awards recognised the contributions of supporting institutions, associations, paint manufacturers and raw material suppliers to Nigeria’s transition to paints with no added lead.