The Alliance for Action on Pesticide in Nigeria (AAPN) has called for better legislation and improvement in the use of pesticides in Nigeria. AAPN made the calls at a seminar organised under the auspices of AAPN, HOMEF and Heinrich Boll Stiftung last week in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The communique issued at the end of the seminar was jointly signed by Donald Ikenna, lead coordinator, AAPN/Programme Manager, Heinrich Boell Stiftung Nigeria; Professor Simon Irtwange, Co-Founder and leader, AAPN/President, Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers of Nigeria; Professor Johnson Ekpere, advisor and leader; AAPN, Barrister Mariamme Bassey, Co-Founder and leader, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, as well as Joy Brown, Convener, AAPN Project Manager, HOMEF.
According to the organisers, the Alliance for Action on Pesticide in Nigeria (AAPN) was formed on 28 November 2020, and is a coalition of over 80 civil society organisations, farmers and farm input dealers’ associations, academia, researchers, and interested members of the public. AAPN has as its mandate the drive to increase public awareness of pesticide issues for informed pesticide choice, usage and shift to safer sustainable farm methods and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems/methods.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that “Pesticides are chemical compounds that are used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and unwanted plants (weeds). Over 1000 different pesticides are used around the world,” noting that ”pesticides are among the leading causes of death by self-poisoning, felt disproportionately in low- and middle-income countries.”
WHO added that agricultural workers and those who relate with the immediate area where pesticides are used are exposed to adverse health effects.
“It is no longer news that pesticide is a major public health and environmental threat in Nigeria and the World at large- with over 385 million deaths caused by pesticides globally, mostly in Africa and the rest of the Global South. In Nigeria, we have no data on the number of pesticides related deaths, except the numbers rolled out by the media when these deaths occur.
“We are all aware of the over 270 Nigerians that died in Benue state in 2020 due to Endosulfan (a pesticide active ingredient classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticide active ingredient) in the community river,” AAPN said.
AAPN continued: “The 2022 Survey of AAPN and the SWOFON (Smallholder Women farmers Organizations of Nigeria) shows that 7 out of the most common 13 pesticide products, have active ingredients that are linked to cancer or proven to be cancer causing. These active ingredients include Atrazine, Butachlor, Chlorpyroifos, Dichlorvos (DDVP), Endosulfan, Glysophate, and Mancozeb. Over 20 million Nigerians are reported to be living which chronic kidney diseases (CKD),” AAPN added.
In addition, “The alliance also seeks to ensure improved pesticide regulations in Nigeria; so as to protect both human and environmental health, guard Nigeria’s food security, improve food sustainability and defend Nigeria’s food sovereignty against potential influences that compromises Nigeria and her food sector”, AAPN declared.
According to AAPN’s survey, more than 90 percent of Nigerian farmers do not know the chemical they apply on their farms, and food-eating consumers do not know the chemical in their food. The body also found out that most farmers hardly read the product labels on pesticide products let alone know the hazards associated with pesticide’s active ingredients as much as the majority of the farmers and their communities do not use personal protective equipment due to non-availability of those products in agrochemical stores or their distributors.
Consequently, AAPN made a number of recommendations to avert the looming dangers associated with the wrong use of pesticides in Nigeria.
“These recommendations are made in accordance with global best practice and to promote an efficient pesticide regulated regime in Nigeria,” AAPN stated.
The recommendations include the expansion of registration requirements for pesticide in Nigeria to impose more obligations on manufactures and importers of pesticides. The body believes with this, manufacturers and importers of pesticides will provide safety precautions, equipment and first aid measures for users of their products as applicable in saner climes.
The body also suggested that the license registration validity period be reduced to three years as against five years currently. The body also suggested there should be prohibition against assignment or transfer of license registration without the written approval from the regulatory agency while penalties associated with contravention should become stiffer and severe, among others.
