Nigeria’s ranking as one of the worst polluted countries is a source of worry to inhabitants and stakeholders, KEHINDE OSASONA gives more insight.
Globally, uncontrolled pollution has been known to be the most dangerous threat to the health. Among other pollutants, air pollution is reported to be the biggest cause of human death. It reportedly causes about seven million deaths annually in the world
A recent report published by the Oxford University’s Our World in Data platform and Daily Mail of London, adjudged Nigeria as the eight most polluted country in the world with 71.80 microgrammes per cubic metre (ug). South Asian country, Nepal, was listed as the most polluted country in the world with an average of 99.73 µg of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) throughout the year. PM2.5 refers to tiny particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
Other countries with poor pollution records, according to the reports, include Niger Republic, the second most polluted country (94.05µp); Qatar, the third most polluted country (91µg) and India, the fourth with 90.87µg.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Cameroun are fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, while Bahrain and Chad are ninth and tenth respectively.
The lowest polluted country in the world is Finland with just three deaths per 100,000. It is closely followed by Brunei, New Zealand, Sweden and Canada.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2019 alone, pollution accounted for the world’s 6.67 million deaths globally, thereby dethroning the initial number one biggest cause of death in 2019 which was said to be high blood pressure, having killed 10.85 million people that year, while smoking, touted as the second biggest killer took the lives of 7.69million people.
According to experts, polluted environments could also cause other terminal diseases like lung cancer, asthma, heart disease, diarrhea, cholera, and many others.
In the same vein, a recent World Bank study on the cost of Air Pollution in Lagos pegged estimates that illness and premature deaths due to ambient air pollution caused losses to $2.1 billion in 2018, which represents about 2.1 per cent of Lagos State’s GDP.
Same year, it reportedly caused an estimated 11, 200 premature deaths, the highest in West Africa.
Children under five were the most affected, accounting for 60 per cent of total deaths while adults suffered from heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Worried by the developments, UNICEF had at the 2021 World Pneumonia Day noted that Nigeria had the highest number of air pollution-related child pneumonia deaths globally.
The report said the children under-five accounted for about 78 per cent of these deaths.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, corroborated the facts when he was quoted as saying that about 185 children under the age of five die every day from pneumonia due to air pollution in Nigeria, especially from air pollution in the household such as the one coming from cooking over open fires.
The Gensis
In June 1988, an Italian company arranged to dump toxic waste in Koko, Delta state, after paying the community $100 a month.
But for the vigilance of Nigerians who raised the alarm about the action, the company would have succeeded in gradually killing many Nigerians through that singular action.
Back then, the locals who were exposed to the toxic waste reportedly suffered nausea, paralysis and premature births among other defects.
The owner of the land where the waste was dumped, Sunday Nana, reportedly died of throat cancer.
Among other contributing factors, emission from bad smokes from cars, trucks, commercial vehicles which pollute the environment, noise, which constitute pollution and cigarette smokers are as much culpable.
Who’s to blame?
Although it is disturbing that Africa’s most populous country always features negatively in almost every environmental report, the country’s pollution laws according to environmentalists are weak.
As Nigeria’s economic hub, Lagos for instance is one of the world’s fastest growing megacities being plagued by high level of pollution and industrial emissions especially in places like Apapa, Idumota, Ikeja, and Odogunyan, where cement, chemicals, furniture, refinery, steel industries, and markets are concentrated.
In the Odogunyan site known for its iron smelting factories, a report has it that a concentration of 1 770 μg/m3 was recorded in a period of 24 h-70 times higher than the WHO guideline.
In the same city, about half of the city’s total energy demand is met by generators where large diesel generators are used in institutional, commercial, and housing sites while small generators have proliferated across households and small businesses.
The poor combustion of the gasoline and lubricating oil used for generators pollutes the air and causes huge health damage as they are used in closer proximity to people.
Similarly, pollution from the ports without a proper waste management system has over the years resulted in open burning of waste and illegal dumping, causing the emissions of toxic pollutants.
Worse still, another report has it that heavy trucks which seek access to the ports pick up loads, causing heavy congestion and pollution.
Going forward
While reacting in an exclusive chat with Blueprint Weekend, an environmentalist, Mr. Ebisine Jones laid the blame on the doorstep of successive governments as well as poor policy implementation and the country’s weak laws.
Jones said: “Over the years, successive administration has paid lip service to the issue as serious as pollution.
“In the Western world for instance, laws governing pollution and emission are such that deviants pay through their nose if they flaunt it.
“Back home, we have a menace that is killing us on a daily basis and we still carry on as if all is well. As we speak, millions of lives are at risk without them knowing. We have inhaled all manners of deadly toxins to the detriment of our health.
“It is high time the authorities began to take seriously issues around safety, prompt implementation of policy and laws guiding pollution and emission as well as enforcement.”
Going forward, among other solutions experts have advocated that Pollution Management and Environment Health Program harp on improved air quality in the environment.
They also urged states to initiate and implement laws that will compel standards for sulfur content in fuel to reduce emissions: from 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm for diesel; and from 1,000 ppm to 150 ppm for gasoline.
Long-term monitoring of air pollution, centralised health data, inventory of polluters, and analysis of the impacts of indoor and outdoor pollutants according to them will offer an opportunity to tackle air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
While others have called for a change of behavior to save the environment and earth, create awareness on the rampant increase of pollution, global warming, deforestation and destruction of environmental resources.
There have also been calls on government and stakeholders to initiate climate-friendly infrastructure projects, just as a vast majority has called for effective implementation of environmental policy in Nigeria as contained in the 1999 Constitution.
Pursuant to Section 20 of the Constitution, following to the letter what is contained in the law as capable of improving not only the environment and safeguarding the water, air, land, forest and wildlife of Nigeria, it would also save the earth.