The Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADeV) has urged the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to urgently review the registration of chemicals to capture environmentally sound management of the highly hazardous pesticides in Nigeria.

Its environmental toxicologist and policy advocate, Mr. Victor Fabunmi, who spoke at a media briefing in Abuja, said the agency, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security should officially update pesticides or HHPs allowed into the country and publicly release the list of those restricted or banned in circulation.

Fabunmi also stated that the recent pronouncement of African Union on development of organic agriculture in the continent should be implemented at both national and local level, calling on the ministry to finalise the National Organic Agriculture Policy for Nigeria developed since 2019.

He commended NAFDAC in its efforts on the banned of HHPs, especially, the recent confiscation of some banned actives, saying, there is need for continuous surveillance to ensure the hazardous chemicals are off the market – both physical and e-commerce platforms.

“Despite global consensus on the urgent need to phase out these dangerous pesticides, Nigeria continues to face escalating challenges in managing them. This is exacerbated by the ongoing collapse in country’s healthcare infrastructure, which limits emergency response and clinical tracking.”

He however, stressed that there is need for comprehensive policies to fund, implement or promote research and market, as well as accredit products from organic farming agroecology rather than promoting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country.

Also, Prof. Simon Irtwange of Alliance for Action on Pesticides (AAPN), noted that across Nigeria, various government programmes, and development actors, routinely provide farmers and communities with agricultural inputs such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Irtwange added: “Without doubt, these pesticides play a significant role in agriculture, but their use also presents deeper and bigger challenges across public health, trade, and environmental domains – even when viable alternatives and innovations in country and globally are on the fast increase.

“A critical concern is that a significant portion of these pesticides fall under the category of this. Over 65 per cent of the active ingredients used here are classified as highly hazardous, many of which are banned or strictly regulated in other countries due to serious health and environmental risks.”

On her part, Oreoluwa Adelakun stressed that government should ensure that farmers, especially smallholders, have access to non-toxic, affordable alternatives to chemical pesticides, calling on the National Assembly to introduce a pesticide and other agrochemical control bill that primarily will protects the health and environment of Nigerians.