A development economist warns that worsening air pollution and skyrocketing prices of asthma medications are deepening Nigeria’s asthma crisis, making disease management harder for patients.

Prof. Chiwuike Uba, founder of the Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation, highlights that many families struggle to afford essential inhalers, forcing difficult choices between medicine and basic needs. A recent survey shows inhalers costing between N5,000 and N70,000, far beyond many Nigerians’ reach.

Uba points to Nigeria’s poor air quality—especially in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Kano—as a major factor worsening asthma and respiratory illnesses, driven by vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and gas flaring.

Citing WHO data, he notes that asthma affects millions worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria hit hardest due to poor management and limited access to medicines. He criticizes Nigeria’s Essential Medicines List for relying on outdated asthma treatments and calls for updated national guidelines incorporating modern, subsidized inhalers covered by the National Health Insurance Authority.

Uba urges public-private partnerships to boost local drug production and reduce reliance on expensive imports.

Describing asthma as an economic, environmental, and social justice issue, he insists that breathing freely must be a right for all, not a privilege for the wealthy, and calls on government, lawmakers, businesses, and citizens to work together to improve asthma care.