Abuja: “The Federal Government has cautioned that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) poses a grave threat to global health, with projections of 10 million deaths annually by 2050 — four million in Africa, and Nigeria already recording tens of thousands of fatalities each year.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, made the disclosure at the commencement of the 2025 World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) on Tuesday in Abuja, scheduled for Nov. 18–24.
The 2025 campaign theme is “Act Now: Protect our Present, Secure our Future.”
Represented by Dr Chinyere Akujobi, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Maiha said WAAW was aimed at raising awareness about the public health threats posed by AMR and promoting practices that limited the spread of resistant infections.
He explained that AMR occurred when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer responded to previously effective antibiotics.
“While it can occur naturally, inappropriate antibiotic use, such as over-prescription, self-medication, poor adherence to treatment, and lapses in infection prevention, exacerbates the problem.”
Other contributors, he noted, included poor biosecurity on farms, unregulated use of antibiotics and pesticides in crops, and the consumption of animal products containing antimicrobial residues.
AMR, he said, led to treatment failures, prolonged illness, loss of livelihoods, higher production costs, and threatened national economic development.
Maiha urged stakeholders in human, veterinary, and environmental health to join the campaign against the misuse of antimicrobials.
He stressed the importance of vaccination, biosecurity, and hygiene in reducing infections and minimising reliance on antibiotics.
“Clinicians, veterinarians, and farmers must use antimicrobials responsibly.
“They should only be prescribed when necessary, with full adherence to treatment and withdrawal periods, to avoid a return to a pre-antibiotic era,” he warned.
Findings by TheDiggerNews reveal that Nigeria is already losing tens of thousands of lives to AMR each year — estimates show over 50,000 deaths annually are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance, with more than 227,000 deaths associated with AMR in 2021 alone.
Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous nation, will likely account for a large share of this burden unless strong interventions are implemented.
