Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, has pledged Nigeria’s support to a global campaign against lead poisoning.
Alake spoke during an exhibition at the Lead-Free Future event which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
In a statement on Friday by Segun Tomori, media assistant to the minister, Alake announced the federal government’s plan to procure additional equipment for the detection of lead in communities.
He said clearing up lead from communities will restore child and maternal health.
Casey Bartrem, the USAID representative, appreciated the minister’s commitment to combatting lead poisoning.
She presented him rock samples retrieved from Zamfara state during a clean-up that followed a lead poisoning incident.
She said USAID hoped to collaborate with the ministry to reduce lead poisoning in mineral extraction and processing.
[TheCable]