Nigerians Yet to Tap into €400M Pest Control Industry, Says Expert

Martins Ifijeh

Despite a huge market of over 400 million Euros in Nigeria’s Pest Control and Fumigation Industry, only about 20 million Euros has been tapped, the Managing Director, Rotimax Integrated Services LTD, Tolu Caled, has said.

Speaking during a two-day training and certification programme for intending managing directors of pest control and fumigation companies in Lagos recently, organised by Rotimax, he said pest control and fumigation industry was very lucrative especially in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos but added that professionals in other parts of the country can also do very well.

According to him, “ignorance has made it look like the business is not lucrative. I have gone for jobs where a client was shocked that I could speak good English. I am a graduate who studied economics; we have MSc and PhD holders in this business and we have been doing well. “The Vice President of the Pest Control Association of Nigeria, Kunle Williams, has been the one fumigating the Muritala Muhammed Airport for 18 years, do you know how much that costs?”

Explaining further he said participants have come from Port-Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna and Plateau states to acquire more knowledge as far as pest control and fumigation is concerned because they know what is involved.

Caled who said that they encourage professionals to delve into corporate sector because there is a law that mandates every public facility to conduct pest control on quarterly basis, added that there are bodies that are meant to shut down your facilities if you don’t do that.

“We are just trying to make sure that the laws are enforced; so it is very lucrative but not well tapped into.”