Lagos State was said to have lost $2.1 billion due to the adverse effects of pollution, according to a report by the World Health Organisation on pollution in major cities of the world.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, disclosed this on Friday when he inaugurated the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Pollution Control in Nigeria, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulganiyu Aminu.
Onu said the World Health Organisation’s report emphasised that several women and children lost their lives due to the menace of pollution.
The minister said: “The WHO report said Lagos has a higher level of pollution than what is acceptable and the cost is heavy in terms of human lives and revenue to the nation.”
Onu charged the committee to find relevant solutions to help mitigate challenges posed by pollution, noting that if left unresolved, the problem could disrupt socio-economic activities.
The committee comprises directorate level staff of the Ministries of Science and Technology, Transportation, Environment, Health, Industry, Aviation, Trade and Investment, and Petroleum Resources, as well as those from the Ecological Fund Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The committee is to submit its report in two weeks.
