By Mercy Gadia Adi
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to take immediate action to stop and phase out the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) across Nigeria, citing their grave risks to public health, food safety, and the environment.
This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Clement Jimbo at Wednesday’s plenary, titled “Stoppage and Mitigation of Risks Associated with the Use of Hazardous Pesticides Across Nigeria.”
Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Jimbo said the widespread circulation of hazardous pesticides in the country had reached an alarming level, warning that continued inaction could have devastating consequences.
“Over 50 percent of pesticides currently registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) are classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides, and close to 60 percent of them are already banned in other countries,” Jimbo stated.
He noted that while pesticides play a vital role in protecting crops and supporting food security, their unregulated use had become a major threat to human life and the ecosystem.
“It is deeply worrying that about 70 percent of suicides in Nigeria involve ingestion of these hazardous substances such as Dichlorvos (DDVP), popularly known as Sniper,” the lawmaker said. “Farmers, consumers, water sources, and pollinators are daily being exposed to contamination that undermines our food safety and environmental health.”
Jimbo also cited research showing that seven out of thirteen common pesticide ingredients in Nigeria are carcinogenic, adding that in 2020, over 270 people died in Oyo Obi community in Benue State after their water source was contaminated with Endosulfan.
He lamented that the use of banned or unregulated pesticides had led to economic losses for food exporters whose products were frequently rejected at international markets over residue contamination.
“If we fail to act now, we risk endangering public health, worsening environmental degradation, and violating Nigeria’s international obligations on chemical safety,” Jimbo warned.
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Health and Social Development, and Environment, as well as Non-Governmental Organizations, to conduct a nationwide review and inventory of hazardous pesticides currently in circulation.
The lawmakers also called on NAFDAC to strengthen regulation, monitoring, and enforcement of pesticide importation, distribution, and use, and to ensure that its list of banned products remains up to date.
Furthermore, the House urged the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria to promote safer alternatives through integrated pest management strategies and the use of organic biopesticides and agroecological methods already in practice by local farmers.
The Committees on Agricultural Production and Services and Environment were mandated to liaise with relevant agencies and stakeholders to develop a framework for the gradual phase-out and eventual ban of Highly Hazardous Pesticides and to report back within four weeks for further legislative action.