The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has declared a public health emergency over environmental diseases linked to greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.
The council’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Yakubu Baba, confirmed the declaration on Monday at a news conference in Abuja.
Baba said the move aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen environmental public health across the country.
He explained that EHCON is raising a national alarm over the silent but rapidly escalating burden of emission-related diseases.
“Environmental diseases from greenhouse gas emissions represent one of the greatest silent public health threats of our time,” Baba said.
“Declaring a state of emergency is not an exaggeration; it is a necessity. EHCON stands fully prepared, alongside partners, to lead this urgent response. The health of Nigerians today and tomorrow depends on actions taken now. We call on government, industry, communities and the media to support this initiative,” he added.
Baba said the council is also raising awareness about the health burden of combustion-engine pollution across the country.
He noted that the emergency declaration is necessary as Nigeria faces rising, preventable deaths from pollution-induced diseases daily.
According to him, the situation is driven by unregulated reliance on combustion engines, weak emission controls, rising healthcare costs, and the loss of productive human capital.
Baba warned that failure to act decisively could overburden the healthcare system and undermine national development.
“Our investigations reveal that environmental diseases linked to air pollution are increasing beyond the long-term public health impact of COVID-19,” he said.
He said many Nigerians who neither smoke nor drink are increasingly being diagnosed with acute and chronic respiratory infections.
Baba listed associated conditions to include lung and other environmentally induced cancers, cardiovascular diseases, systemic inflammation, and climate-related dust exposure.
“These are linked to prolonged exposure to black carbon, particulate matter, and toxic emissions from generators, heavy vehicles, and industrial operations,” he said.
He added that marine engines, port activities, mining, and petroleum operations worsen the largely invisible but devastating emergency.
Baba said emergency actions include intensified inspections of high-emission facilities and transport corridors, alongside mandatory compliance audits.
Other measures include sanctions under the 2024 Environmental Health Provision Rules and targeted emission-reduction interventions.
He said EHCON will deploy 70,000 environmental and public health response staff nationwide for surveillance and rapid response.
Additional actions include regulating fuel additives, mandatory emission testing for generators and vehicles, and phased restrictions on highly polluting engines.
Baba said the response aims to reduce pollution-related deaths, improve air quality, and strengthen environmental public health governance.
He added that enhanced compliance would boost national resilience against environmental health threats.
