By Faridat Salifu
A senior paediatrician has warned that rising air pollution levels in Nigeria are endangering the health and survival of children, describing the situation as a “child health emergency.”
Dr Chika Duru, a Paediatrician and Child Public Health specialist at Niger Delta University, raised the concern on Wednesday during the commemoration of the third International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies held at the Ministry of Environment Conference Hall in Maitama, Abuja.
Speaking in her capacity as Secretary General of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria and Programme Lead on Advocacy for the Clean Air Project, a collaboration with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the United Kingdom, Dr Duru said children are especially vulnerable because of their developing lungs and greater exposure to toxic air relative to their body size.
Citing figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), she noted that more than 90 percent of children under the age of 15 breathe polluted air every day, while air pollution was linked to 8.1 million global deaths in 2021, including about 700,000 children under the age of five.
She explained that Nigeria is among the countries worst affected, with air quality undermined by rapid urbanisation, heavy traffic emissions, poor fuel quality, generator fumes, gas flaring, and widespread use of firewood and kerosene for cooking.
According to her, these combined factors have created a “toxic cocktail” that is putting millions of Nigerian children in harm’s way.
The health impact, she warned, is already evident in major cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, where poor air quality is driving high rates of respiratory diseases.
Monitoring in Lagos, for example, has consistently shown particulate matter levels far above WHO standards, exposing residents to harmful particles from vehicles, industries and open burning.
Dr Duru added that the risks extend beyond lung health. Pregnant women exposed to polluted air face higher chances of complications such as preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth and gestational hypertension. Babies exposed after birth, she said, are more likely to suffer pneumonia, asthma, impaired lung growth and long-term health complications.
She also raised concern about the dangers of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from gas flaring and industrial pollution, which increase the risk of congenital defects and brain development problems in children.
“Air pollution is not only an environmental problem, it is a child health emergency,” she told participants at the forum, stressing that the crisis demands urgent action from government and society.
Dr Duru urged the federal government to strengthen environmental regulation, improve waste management, promote clean cooking energy, and expand air quality monitoring systems across the country.
She further encouraged families to protect children by reducing indoor smoke, ensuring proper ventilation at home, and paying attention to daily air quality updates.
Health experts at the event agreed that tackling air pollution would not only protect children but also cut healthcare costs, boost productivity, and help Nigeria achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on health, energy and climate action.
