The Minister of Nigeria to collaborate with UNICEF, USAID to combat lead poisoning

Dele Alake, the minister of Solid Minerals Development, has pledged Nigeria’s support to the global campaign against lead poisoning to save the lives of vulnerable citizens.

Reviewing the exhibition on the lead campaign at the Lead-Free Future event organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, Alake announced plans to procure additional equipment for the detection of lead in communities plagued by lead poisoning.

According to a statement signed by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant (Media) to the minister, it stated that Alake advocated for more enlightenment on the threat posed to persons in the mining of gold and other minerals, emphasising that cleaning up lead from communities will restore child and maternal health. He stressed the need to factor lead reduction in the process of local value addition being championed by the Ministry.

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Welcoming the Minister to the exhibition, the USAID representative, Dr. Casey Bartrem appreciated the commitment of the minister, showing rock samples retrieved from Zamfara State in Nigeria during the clean-up that followed a lead poisoning incident.

She said the USAID hoped to collaborate with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD) in reducing lead in mineral extraction and processing.

Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake tested the lead content of rock samples while Dr Bartrem watched at the Lead-Free Future event in New York, recently.

Ruth Tene Natsa

Ruth Tene, Assistant Editor, Agric/Solid Minerals/INEC Ruth Tene is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years experience in developmental reporting across several newsrooms, as a reporter, editor and other managerial roles. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri among several other certifications She has attended several trainings and certifications both locally and internationally and has been recognized for her impactful work in humanitarian reporting, receiving the Gold Award for Humanitarian Services from the Amazing Grace Foundation. She is also a recipient of the Home Alliance Fellowship, reflecting her commitment to fostering a more humane, safer and more sustainable planet. An active member of professional journalism bodies, Ruth is affiliated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), where she continues to advocate for excellence, ethical reporting, and development-focused journalism.