Fumigation Poison: Federal Fire Service not Authorised to Decontaminate, Says EHORECON

Bennett Oghifo

The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) of Nigeria has described as illegal and unprofessional exercise the recent fumigation exercise by the Federal Fire Service that allegedly led to the collapse and hospitalisation of 100 students of the College of Health Technology, Ijero Ekiti in Ekiti State.

The EHORECON is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment, charged with regulating Environmental Health profession in Nigeria and other functions conferred on it by the Act that set it up.

The Council said the Federal Fire Service went beyond its authorised role of putting out fires in the country to decontamination/disinfection that its personnel are not trained or equipped to do.

A statement issued by EHORECON’s Head, Public Affairs, Kehinde A. Openibo, on behalf of the Acting Registrar/CEO, said, “It is pertinent to note that decontamination/disinfection is not within the organisational mandates of the Federal Fire Service and should therefore restrict itself to its onerous task of fire outbreak control in Nigeria and not to get involved in the highly technical and well-regulated schedule of the Environmental Health professionals.

The Council said it was aware of “an earlier memo, which emanated from the Federal Fire Service and signed by one Momoh B (Commanding officer, Abuja), that was equally sent to the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) informing the Council of its intention to come and disinfect and decontaminate EHORECON premises. The Council also observed that the same document has been sent to other Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

“The initial stance of the Council was to ignore the letter sent to the Council but on further reflection, the Council considers it duty bound to make this factual presentation of the issues to the organisations, stakeholders and members of the public in Nigeria to whom we are accountable that the only Federal Government organisation with powers to decontaminate and disinfect public institutions and private organisations is the Federal Ministry of Environment anchored by licensed Environmental Health Officers who are trained in the safe composition and dispensing of the approved formulation for this exercise. Similarly, licensed Environmental Health Officers employed by sub-national, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as private companies registered and licensed by the Council have the authority to carry out decontamination/disinfection.”

It said, “As a responsible Federal Government Regulatory Agency with mandate to regulate the practice of Environmental Health, the Council will always ensure strict adherence to code of ethics, due process, transparency and accountability in the discharge of its duties and the general practice of Environmental Health in all its functional components in general and Decontamination/Disinfection in particular.

“Consequent upon this, the Council will therefore not accept any organisation or corporate body not licensed to carry out function(s) which is/are outside such organisations’ mandate or jurisdiction.”

The statement said the Council has, on the directive of the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, dispatched a technical team to conduct on-the-spot assessment with a view to determining the actual cause, effect, control measures and make recommendations.

“It is pertinent to reiterate that the only Federal Establishment mandated to carry out Decontamination/Disinfection is the Federal Ministry of Environment and its assigned parastatal in this case, the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON),” the statement said.

It said, “Furthermore, while going through the list of licensed individuals and corporate organisations empowered to carry out this exercise, the Federal Fire Service is not part of the organisations licensed to carry out this exercise.”

It commiserated with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State, the Management and Staff of the College of Health Technology, Ijero, Ekiti, the parents and the students hospitalised “as a result of this illegal and unprofessional exercise.”