Reviewing the local and global implications of air pollution trends in Zaria, northern Nigeria

Air pollution is an unnoticed problem in many Nigerian urban cities. This is mainly attributed to the usage of power generating sets, indiscriminate refuse burning, biomass consumption and import/recycle of timeworn automobiles, which dominates the Nigerian automobile fleet. Reduced economic infrastructure and the Nigerian climate, are a major factor for the dense outdoor population activities. This is contributing to the increasing population health risk resulting from pollution exposure. Literature on the seasonal spatial-temporal distribution of air pollutants within Nigerian urban cities is presently scanty. This study evaluates the local and global implications of air pollution trends in northern Nigeria's educational hub. The study utilized validated cost-effective devices (MSA Altair 5× gas detector and the CW-HAT200 particulate counter) to assess the outdoor air quality in Zaria. The findings revealed the one-year day-time weighted average concentration level for CO, SO2 PM2.5 and PM10 as 29.22 ppm, 0.32 ppm, 219.73 and 451.96 µgm-3 respectively. These concentration levels were above the locally and globally stipulated air quality indices. In particular, the concentration levels of the particulate matter pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10) were high enough to place Zaria amongst the World Health Organization's list of polluted cities. We are optimistic that our findings would instigate Nigerian policy makers to take decisive steps for air quality management across its cities.