The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has unveiled a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Initiative to enhance air quality, safeguard public health and advance Nigeria’s climate obligations.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of EHCON, Dr. Yakubu Baba, disclosed this at the official launch of the initiative under the National Air Quality Programme of the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja.
Dr. Baba described the initiative as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s environmental health governance and a decisive step toward cleaner air, healthier communities, and sustainable national development.
“Environmental health surveillance across the country continues to reveal a growing burden of diseases associated with air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, including respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and other pollution related conditions impacting families and national productivity” he said.
According to him, clean air remains fundamental to human survival, economic growth, and public well being, stressing that EHCON, as the statutory regulator of environmental health practice in Nigeria, bears responsibility not only for enforcing standards but also for driving preventive interventions that protect citizens’ health.
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Dr. Baba explained that a key innovation under the initiative is the deployment of Oxetyne fuel additive, a technological solution capable of reducing carbon emissions by up to 70 percent while lowering fossil fuel consumption by approximately 30 percent.
He described the innovation as both an environmental and public health intervention, noting that reducing emissions from vehicles, power generators, and industrial fuel usage would significantly cut pollutants released into the atmosphere and inhaled daily by Nigerians.
“Improved air quality would translate into reduced disease burden, lower healthcare costs, enhanced fuel efficiency, economic savings, and strengthened environmental sustainability across urban and industrial centres” he said.
He further stated that the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s national and global climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions, the Climate Change Act, the National Environmental Health Practice Regulations 2024, and the National Air Quality Programme.
Dr. Baba emphasized that the programme also advances the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Good Health and Well-being, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.
“The initiative supports the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially in promoting environmental sustainability, economic productivity, efficient public service delivery, and protection of citizens’ welfare” he explained.
Outlining EHCON’s implementation strategy, Dr. Baba disclosed that the Council would undertake nationwide emission compliance monitoring, deploy environmental health officers across the country, collaborate with industry stakeholders, and intensify public awareness and behaviour-change campaigns.
He called on transport operators, industrial establishments, energy sector players, state governments, local government authorities, and environmental health practitioners to embrace the initiative as a shared national responsibility, stressing that protecting air quality ultimately means protecting life itself.
The EHCON Registrar expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, regulatory agencies, and industry collaborators for supporting the initiative, describing the programme as a new direction where environmental regulation prevents disease and innovation drives sustainability.
Dr. Baba formally declared the EHCON Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Initiative duly launched, expressing confidence that collective action would help build a Nigeria with cleaner air, healthier citizens, and a more secure environmental future.