By Julian Osamoto
Antimicrobial resistance was linked to an estimated 64,500 deaths in Nigeria in 2019, as health, agriculture, livestock and environment ministers called for coordinated action to curb the misuse of medicines and prevent the spread of drug-resistant infections.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, gave the figure in Abuja during a ministerial briefing ahead of the Fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, scheduled for December.
Professor Pate warned that drug resistance threatens the effectiveness of existing treatments, making infections more difficult to treat and increasing the risks associated with routine medical procedures and other healthcare interventions.
He said Nigeria was strengthening antimicrobial stewardship in federal hospitals, improving laboratory diagnostic services and pharmaceutical regulation, and promoting vaccination, infection prevention and responsible antibiotic use. He also acknowledged gaps in national surveillance that require stronger monitoring systems.
For the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, warned that inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in agriculture could undermine livestock health, food safety, agricultural productivity, trade and farmers’ livelihoods.
Dr Abdullahi called for farmer education, stronger biosecurity measures and improved agricultural extension services to promote responsible use of medicines and chemicals while protecting public health and the environment.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, represented by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Abdukareem Durosunlorun, urged poultry and livestock farmers to use antibiotics only on prescription and observe withdrawal periods before taking animal products to market.
Dr Durosunlorun stressed the need to educate farmers on responsible antibiotic use, warning against prioritising profit over human health.
Also the Minister Environment Balarabe Lawal noted that resistant microorganisms could spread through contaminated water, soil and poorly managed waste, making environmental protection essential to controlling antimicrobial resistance.
Lawal said the four ministries had committed to establishing a joint coordination mechanism to sustain cooperation beyond the conference. He also called for better waste management and broader stakeholder participation.
Delivering a joint ministerial statement, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the conference would provide an opportunity to assess progress, address implementation gaps and strengthen international cooperation against antimicrobial resistance.
Salako cited estimates that bacterial antimicrobial resistance directly caused 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019. He warned that more than 39 million deaths could be directly attributable to bacterial resistance globally between 2025 and 2050 without effective interventions.
He said the conference would advance the proposed Abuja Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance, which is expected to translate existing international commitments into measurable action and strengthen accountability among participating countries.
The conference, which will be the first edition held on African soil, will bring together ministers, policymakers, scientists and development partners under the theme, “One Health: Advancing Global AMR Commitments to Local Action”.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms develop the ability to survive medicines that previously killed them or stopped their growth. The One Health approach recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health and calls for coordinated action to contain the threat.
