Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – A viral message circulating across social media platforms claiming Nigeria’s “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)” has issued an urgent air pollution health alert is false and misleading, environmental experts confirm.
The widely shared notice warns Nigerians that current atmospheric conditions are not harmattan but an extreme form of air pollution, urging sweeping health precautions. However, experts say the alert does not originate from any recognised Nigerian authority and contains several factual errors.
Environmental analyst Niyi Emmanuel on Wednesday told Africa Health Report that Nigeria does not operate an agency known as the “EPA” capable of issuing national public health warnings.
“There is no official body in Nigeria called the EPA issuing such alerts,” Emmanuel explains. “Authorised agencies include the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), NESREA, and state environmental protection agencies.”
“In Nigeria and across West Africa, what we are experiencing is harmattan,” Emmanuel says. “It is caused by dry, dusty north-east trade winds from the Sahara. Harmattan can degrade air quality, but it does not mean the season itself is false.”
On health risks, Emmanuel clarifies that harmattan-related dust can aggravate respiratory conditions, especially among children, the elderly and people with asthma. However, he says the message exaggerates risks to the general population.
“Poor air quality can affect sensitive individuals, but healthy people are not automatically in danger,” he notes.
The expert confirms that some advice in the viral post — such as wearing nose masks, drinking water, washing fruits thoroughly and limiting outdoor exposure during heavy dust — is scientifically valid.
“Fans and air conditioners do not cause colds. Viral infections do,” Emmanuel states.
Experts urge Nigerians to verify public health information through official government channels and medical professionals, rather than forwarding unverified social media alerts.
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