The Federal Government is sensitizing the public on the dangers posed by highly harzadous pesticides like “Chlorpyrifos” on Human Health, the Environment and Farmlands as it works towards banning their use in the country.
The minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal represented by the Deputy Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Adenaike Oladunni stated this in Lagos while presenting the report of the National Survey on the highly hazardous Pesticide “Chlorpyrifos” to the media.
The survey on the situation of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in Nigeria revealed a high volume of import into the country between January 2017 and April 2022.
Among the HHPs are chlorpyrifos with imported quantity exceeding 4 million liters in the past five years.
Widely used in Homes and Farms to control Insects and Pests, and in Warehouses for Food preservation, exposure to the chemicals according to experts results in Neuro defects raising the need for its ban to safeguard lives.
At a gathering to disseminate the Situation Report, the Sustainable Research for Action and Development SRADev Nigeria called on the government to step up surveillance and regulations on chemicals in warehouses and their sale online.
The survey was carried out in 2023, by SRADeV Nigeria under the auspices of International Pollution Elimination Network IPEN to understand the status of import and use of Chlorpyrifos preparatory to its ban in Nigeria.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
