Posted on: Mon 19-05-2025

As the skies grow thicker and the rivers murkier, Nigeria—and indeed much of the world—is hurtling toward an environmental tipping point. At the 19th Annual Public Health Lecture held by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) in Jos, experts delivered a sobering message: pollution and environmental degradation are no longer looming threats—they are here, and they are killing us.

Themed “Environmental Degradation and Pollution: Advancing Public Health for a Sustainable and Healthy Community”, the event wasn't just another academic talkshop—it was a clarion call. One that we can no longer afford to ignore.

In a keynote address delivered on behalf of Plateau State Deputy Governor Ngo Josephine Piyo, Prof. Christopher Yilgwan put it bluntly: our environment is collapsing under the weight of our own recklessness. Industrial pollution is poisoning the air. Water sources are contaminated. Agricultural run-offs are bleeding toxins into our food chain. And as these threats multiply, our public health systems remain woefully unprepared.

The statistics are terrifying. Air pollution is now the single largest environmental health risk worldwide, killing an estimated seven million people annually—a death toll on par with that of COVID-19. Meanwhile, over 1.7 billion people drink water tainted with fecal matter, leading to 1.4 million avoidable deaths every year.

“These numbers aren’t just data points—they’re mothers, fathers, children. They are the price we’re paying for our collective apathy,” one attendee remarked.

Yet, despite this unfolding crisis, policy inertia remains the norm. Governments drag their feet. Regulations go unenforced. Corporate polluters face little to no accountability. And communities, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, bear the brunt.

To be clear, this isn't just a health issue—it's a moral one.

Deputy Governor Piyo rightly pointed out that environmental degradation doesn't affect everyone equally. Wealth buys clean water, filtered air, and safe neighborhoods. But for the rest? It means respiratory disease, contaminated drinking water, and a future poisoned at the roots.

What’s worse, these problems are solvable. Experts at the lecture laid out concrete solutions—from enforcing WHO and EPA air quality standards to banning toxic pesticides, investing in recycling, legislating emissions control, and embracing sustainable diets. But good ideas are not enough. What we need now is political will.

Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, AMLSN President, didn’t mince words either. “When air, water, and land are unsafe, public health is compromised. We are facing a public health emergency,” he warned.

And he’s right.

Yet, inexplicably, the federal government has failed to give the issue the priority it deserves. Where is the National Emergency Response Plan for pollution-related illnesses? Why is there no robust environmental health directorate within the Ministry of Health? Why are illegal mining and oil spills still rampant?

Hon. Theodore Bala Maiyaki, who chaired the event, called for stronger professional standards in medical laboratory science—yes—but also acknowledged the rot at the core of Nigeria’s healthcare delivery. “It is impossible to ignore the decay,” he said.

He’s not wrong. But perhaps the real tragedy is that we have grown too comfortable with the decay.

If this conference is to mean anything, it must become a launchpad—not just for dialogue, but for decisive action. Environmental justice cannot be a fringe issue anymore. It must be central to our public health agenda, our legislative focus, and our national conscience.

The message from Jos was clear: The environment is speaking. Through poisoned rivers and toxic air, it’s telling us that time is running out.

The only question now is—are we ready to listen?

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