Nigerian Government Flags Antibiotic-Linked Deaths, Warns on Drug Resistance

The Federal Government has raised concern about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing danger estimated to have been responsible for 64,500 lives lost prematurely in Nigeria in 2019. Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, expressed this worry during a joint ministerial press conference held in Abuja on Monday, October 12. The event was organised by the health and social welfare, agriculture and food security, livestock development, and environment ministries. These four ministries are leading Nigeria’s One Health strategy against antimicrobial resistance. Pate said: “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the gravest threats of our time. When antibiotics and other antimicrobials stop working, routine infections become dangerous, surgery and childbirth carry greater risk, and the cost of care rises for every family.” Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, said AMR represented a major danger to agricultural production and food security. He cautioned that improper or excessive use of antimicrobials could weaken disease control, lower productivity, and put food safety at risk. Abdullahi said the One Health approach recognises the connections between human, animal, and environmental health and offers a framework for coordinated policies, effective surveillance, and sustainable interventions.