UP GEJ!!: FG sets to recruit 490 Environmental Health Officers

ABUJA (Federal Ministry of Environment Report) -

The Minister of Environment, Laurentia Laraba Mallam has recently announced the plan of the Federal
Government to recruit 490 Environmental Health Officers. The revelation was made at the inauguration ceremony of the 2nd Governing Board of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria held in Abuja.

According to the Minister, the Environmental Health Officers to be recruited would not only be deployed at the country’s gateways, but will be in all the States of the Federation to educate Nigerians on the best sanitary practices, in order to avoid the spread of transmittable and communicable diseases.

Laurentia Mallam charged the newly inaugurated Governing Board on improvements in various components of environmental health management such as waste management, global warming, climate change, poverty alleviation and general environmental protection. He indicated that the present administration is determined to improve the environmental quality of all facets of the country to assuage public concerns.

The Minister called on the officers to be committed to protecting the environment and eradicating all manners of communicable diseases spread by filthy environments in the country. She advised all the factions in the association with misconducts to channel it to the council and focus on the bigger picture of delivering high quality services to Nigerians.

While stressing that with the continued scaring news of Ebola disease around the corner, the call for sanitary inspectors has become very apt, the Minister urged the Council to bring back the lost glory of the inspectors in rendering such environmental sanitation and hygiene services that would fetch sound health, environmental protection and economic prosperity.

The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Governing Board, Oladapo Afolabi said that the cadre of professionals holds the key to the prevention of transmittable and communicable diseases, including the protection of environmental aesthetics. He noted that the nation’s health policy and strategy should emphasize preventive healthcare as health professionals hold the key in this aspect.

According to him, the Council needs to carry out advocacy campaigns to all State Governments to give priority to health interventions which are known globally to be cheaper and capable of saving more money than the present situation of advocating medically-based interventions in areas that obviously require clinical approach.