FG Validates Documents Authenticating Environmental Health Practice 

Bennett Oghifo

The federal government, through the Ministry of the Environment, has validated two authentication documents geared towards the promotion and guide toward a sustainable environmental practice in line with global practice.

The Minister supervising the ministry, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi, made the disclosure over the weekend in Abuja, at the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) Business Forum with Theme: “Development of Sustainable Environmental Health, Business Model in Support of Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Drive’.

He acknowledged that the documents: The seal for practitioners operations and the gazette of names of operators and players are verifiable instruments for operators, the general public and operators in the environmental service delivery in the country.

The environment, he added, is increasingly being negatively impacted, which in turn, causes disease and other health conditions. Environmental health risks and exposures are responsible for nearly half of the global burden of morbidity, he explained.

“We know that environmental health is concerned with preventing disease and disability by reducing exposure to adverse environmental conditions and promoting behavioural change in the age of business added to human endeavors in various sectors, namely infrastructure, energy transportation, mining, and agriculture is complex,” he said.

Abdullahi, expressed concerned about the quality-of-service delivery in the pharmaceutical sector, insisting that operators must imbibe the principles of duty of care, ensure protection and preservation of the environment, even as he added that this must be carried out within the confines of a circular economy, which emphasise a green economy.

The Minister said: “This, therefore, requires every professional to work within stipulated guidelines and standards, especially as regards climate health.

“The environmental health industry went by the policy guidelines and instruments developed by the Ministry has enormous potential to become automated and viable.

“There has to be strict adherence to the provisions in these guidelines is expected to lead you to not only earn legitimate income as private operators on one hand but also on the other protecting the environment and the health of Nigerians.”

Fielding questions from journalists at the sideline of the event, the Registrar of EHOCON, Dr. Yakubu Baba said that as part of its process of rebranding environmental health practice in Nigeria, the Council in 2021 organised its first national health summit explaining that one of its critical resolutions was to develop an appropriate model for environmental health business and practice.

According to him, stakeholders from the various strategy meetings are optimistic of creating an enabling environment that would create nearly 10,000 new jobs in the sector at the first instance.

The EHOCON boss, said: “This forum avails environmental health professionals, manufacturers, marketers, service providers, financiers, regulators, service takers and other stakeholders the avenue to discuss, explore and key into the business potentials inherent in environmental health services with a view to making environmental health business prominent in the economic development of Nigeria.”

He expressed excitement that the document launched would be the final authority on the licenses of operators in the business of environmental health services in the country, stressing that it would strengthen the supervision and control measures for safer environmental health business.

He said: “We believe there are a lot of opportunities in environmental health. For example, it is the expectation of the Council, that after deliberations in these three days, at least 10,000 jobs should be created within the sphere of environmental health.

“We are looking at the possibility of the players knowing the rules and regulations guiding the practice of the environmental health practitioners in Nigeria.

“This is also in line with what is enshrined in the Act because it also in the enabling section mentioned that the Council shall publish the list of the members of the profession.

“I think the best way for the council to publish the list is to Gazette the membership and this is also to give the public the opportunity to know who is really a practitioner in Nigeria who is not really a practitioner in Nigeria because if your name is not on that list, it means you are not environmental health practitioner in Nigeria.

“The second document issued by the Minister today is the seal, you know as environmental health officers we are using the public health law as our legislation.

“And we have a lot of documents that we signed that I leaked and the validity of those documents to make them valid legally is for you to obtain your signature.

“But now instead of your signature, you use your customised seal. So, any legal document issued by any practitioner without a seal.”