From Isaac OjoNnewi
The lawmaker representing Idemili North and South in the House of Representatives, Hon Obinna Chidoka has decried the level of dirt in Anambra state.
Hon Chidoka condemned the ugly situation while playing host to the Environment Health Officers inAnambra State led by Sanitarian Abadon Moses.
The president of the group, Sanitarian Abadom Moses in his introductory remarks said that Environmental Health profession is established by Act 11 of 2002 in Nigeria.
He said that by the Act, all private and public establishments are mandated have EHORECON units.
He said that the scope of the Environmental Health include prevention of diseases through proper environmental sanitation, pollution control, which include air, water soil and noise pollution.
The functions of Environment Health Officers according to the president also include; waste management, this entails solid, liquid and gaseous waste, pest control through prompt fumigation of the environment.
Sanitarian Abadon said further that water quality control, building quality control, ensuring wholesomeness of foods and drinks, diseases monitoring and surveillance as well as house to house inspection of premises with a view for ensuring clean and healthy environment.
He noted that due to the yearly retirement of qualified Environmental Health Officers in the service and non-recruitment of qualified ones for their replacement by all the levels of government, environmental degradation, emerging communicable and non-communicable diseases, high rate of morbidity and mortality rates have become the ugly effect of such neglect.
Abadon noted that several efforts have been made to make the Anambra state government recruit some of the qualified Environmental Health Officers in the state which according to him have not produce the expected result.
Some of the other issues presented to Hon Chidoka were, employment of qualified Environmental Health Officers by the Federal and state establishments and the need to rent or secure an office apartment in Anambra State as a branch of EHORECON.
In his response, the member representing Idemili North and South Local Government Areas in the National Assembly, Hon ObinnaChidoka appreciated the Environmental Health Officers for their visit.
The lawmaker recalled the pivotal role he played to ensure that the environment is adequately protected when he was the Chairman, House Committee on Environment even as he noted though no longer a member of the committee, he is still being called upon to assist by new commitee.
He observed that Anambra State is as at the moment is very dirty which according to him should worry everyone in the state.
Hon Chidoka promised to discuss some of the issues they raised with the Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano.
The lawmaker also asked the visiting Environmental Health Officers to liase with his office so as to see how he can get them employed at the federal level and as well empower them.
