Nigerians lament air pollution, experts call for action

Recently, Nigerians joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Air Day. In line with this, experts have called on the authorities to do more in reducing air pollution across the country. This is as residents of the SDP layout in the Gwagwada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have […]

Recently, Nigerians joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Air Day. In line with this, experts have called on the authorities to do more in reducing air pollution across the country.

This is as residents of the SDP layout in the Gwagwada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have continued to lament the perennial pollution of their environment.

They said parts of their community had been converted to where tyres and other waste materials are regularly burnt, a development that is causing serious risk to their health.

Mr Samson Anthony, a motor mechanic in the area, told Daily Trust on Sunday that although they were not happy with the situation, no one has really challenged those involved in the unwholesome activity.

“We are not happy with the situation; you can see for yourself. See the type of smoke the tyres are producing. This is a serious health problem, but many people are not worried because they don’t sleep here. I believe those building this new houses will stop them. I don’t think they will allow the situation to continue,” he said.

When Daily Trust on Sunday visited the area, a thick smoke could be seen bellowing into the sky from a burning tyre.

Addressing some of the activities that pollute the air across the country, the director-general of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Professor Aliyu Jauro, advised Nigerians to embrace renewable sources of energy.

He attributed air pollution in the country to manmade sources, including forest fires, volcanic eruptions that release a lot of substances into the atmosphere, as well as household activities.

“We use a lot of firewood, especially in the rural areas. Industries are one of the highest pollutants as they use a lot of machinery that emit a lot of smoke, likewise the transportation sector.

Professor Jauro also said air pollution was one of the major causes of deaths. “As at 2016, it was said that about 6.5million people died because of air pollution. When you breathe in polluted air, it causes a lot of health challenges, such as asthma, cancer, bronchitis and others.

“So if we take care of the air and ensure that it is good, it will go a long way in saving all of us,” he said.

On efforts by the NESREA to curb the menace, he said, “One of the things we have succeeded in doing is to ask the federal government to ban the importation of two-stroke engines; that is the one Nigerians call I-pass-my-neighbour, where you mix the engine oil with the petrol in the same tank. Those small generating sets are high pollutants. By law, people are not supposed to import and use them.

“We have a programme coming up soon. We are going to start with the big generating sets before coming to the smaller ones. Considering what we are going through, assuming we are generating enough power from the national grid, nobody will bother with generating sets because they are very expensive. We are weighing the two for compliance.

“We are going to work to ensure that there is reduction in the use of generating sets because of the environment. If you have it at your neighborhood, there is noise pollution, air pollution. And there is likely to be oil spill because. Also, a lot of diseases are involved. We encourage them to switch to solar.”

He tasked the people to imbibe habits that improve clean air, saying, “It is good for human and environmental health. Let us put our hands together and ensure that we do the right thing so that we can get a very clean air for the overall health of all Nigerians and the environment.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that air pollution kills at least seven million people annually, worldwide. The WHO data also shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds its stipulated guideline limit, containing high levels of pollutants, with low and middle income countries suffering from the highest exposures.

Experts also said that bush burning, gas flaring from the Niger Delta and emission from companies contribute to air pollution in the country.

They said the development had led to the prevalence of diseases like stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections, heart diseases, among others.

In a recent publication on the annual State of Global Air Report, published by the Health Effects Institutes (HEI), air quality in Nigeria and at least 10 other countries is among the deadliest anywhere in the world with higher than ambient air pollution death rates as a result of environmental hazards, combined with extreme pollution sources like generator fumes, vehicle emissions and crop burning.

The position of the HEI was also supported by Nnimmo Bassey, an environmental activist, author and onetime chairman of the Friends of the Earth International, who told Daily Trust on Sunday that Nigeria had one of the poorest air qualities in Africa.

Bassey said there was the need for urgent action, as anytime Nigerians take in air, their health is compromised. He added that polluted air across the country was responsible for many diseases like cancer and breathing problems.

He also called for a proper regulation of environmental activities in Nigeria, saying Nigerians need to know the volume of polluted air they are taking as that would spur the people and the authorities to action.

He said, “The major problem in Nigeria is the absence of regulations. Just as we have the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) that tells us if there is going to be rain, storm and flood, we need an agency that will alert Nigerians on the level of hazardous air they are inhaling. When such agency is in place, it will help us to know and act on what we are doing.

“One other way to mitigate or tackle air pollution is to have continuous air quality monitoring across the country. Emission levels must also be set for automobiles, generators and other polluting activities.

“Nigeria can prioritise the usage of solar power, rather than petrol or diesel generators. This will reduce air pollution drastically. Another action would be to stop reckless mining of coal as this will reduce pollution from the dust they pour on our communities.”

While celebrating the International Air Day, Lagos State identified four major contributors to air pollution and came up with what it called a robust initiative towards achieving clean air in the state.

The permanent secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Mrs Belinda Odeneye, explained that Lagos, as Africa’s fastest growing mega city, was confronted with myriads of environmental challenges, particularly from transportation, power, industrial activities and waste management, thus its determination to rid the state of all forms of pollution and bequeath to the people, a clean, safe, healthy and more friendly environment.

Odeneye said part of the measures so far taken was the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, tree planting and greening of open spaces; improvement in the management of dumpsites across the state; blue and red line light rail mass transit; advocacy and public education; installation of air quality monitoring equipment.

Others are development of a robust climate action plan; improvement in facilities compliance monitoring and review of existing laws and policies to ensure that everyone can breathe clean air, irrespective of his or her status or location in the state.

On their part, the Global Environmental and Climate Conservation Initiative (GECCI), in a statement to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, explained that air pollution was a global problem with far-reaching impacts due to its trans-boundary nature.

The statement, signed by Abdulhamid Tahir Hamid, the chief executive officer of the GECCI, noted that air pollution was one of the greatest environmental risks to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of deaths and diseases globally.

He stated that this year’s theme, Healthy air, healthy planet, was particularly relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that in Nigeria, global warming, environmental pollution and deforestation were some of the problems faced by citizens, especially women. And these factors pose major threat to nature.

“For years now, black soot has been a major health hazard to the people, especially in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria. This is a result of oil pollution and increased gas flares in the region. And this is a major threat to the ecosystem. Therefore, air pollution has a detrimental impact on the climate, biodiversity and the ecosystem,” he stated.

The statement also noted that household energy use makes up more than half of all global black carbon emissions, the second largest contributor to climate change, after carbon dioxide, adding, “Clean cooking is vital to combating global climate change and reducing environmental degradation.

The GECCI, therefore, urges Nigerian to participate in the movement, stating, “We need to act now. There is the need to reduce all activities leading to climate change, by stopping air, water and land pollution. We should stop gas flaring, continue to plant trees and discourage deforestation, as well as introduce and promote renewable energy sources.”