By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Registrar, Environment Health Council of Nigeria, EHORECON, Dr Yakubu Baba on Tuesday said the right atmosphere will be created for private environmental health businesses to thrive.
He disclosed this at the National Environment Health Business Forum with the theme “Developing Sustainable Environmental Health Business Model in Support of Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Drive” in Abuja.
He said there is opportunity for creation of 10,000 jobs within the sphere of environment health in Nigeria.
Dr Baba said that the objective of the Business Forum is to create the enabling environment for the Private sector to come and participate and invest in environment health in the country.
“This business forum was also mutate as a result of the new law because we believe with the consolidation of the legislation that established the Council today, government alone cannot deliver environment health. so we need to also create an enabling environment for the private sector to come and contribute to their quarter.
“And we believe there are a lot of opportunities in environmental health, for example, it is the expectation of the Council, that after the deliberation in these three days, at least 10,000 jobs should be created within the sphere of environmental health.” Dr Baba explained.
At the event, EHORECON, launched two authentication documents to promote and guide sustainable environmental business in Nigeria.
The registrar said that the document launched would be the final authority on the licenses of operators in the business of environmental health services in Nigeria. It would strengthen the supervision and control measures for safer environmental health in the country.
Dr Baba noted that the best way for the Council to publish the list is to Gazette membership and also allow the public to know who is an Environment Health Practitioner in Nigeria.
“The second document issued by the Minister is the seal, you know Environmental Health Officer is using the public health law as our legislation, and we have a lot of document that is signed that is legal 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, remains null and void,” he said.
Dr Baba said that the change came as a result of the amendment of Act number 11 of 2002 that established the Council.
He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 6th of September, signed the amended law that led to the creation of the new name.
“This new name also came with additional responsibility for the council, because now, the council is expected to regulate the 21 components of environmental health, from food safety, abattoir sanitation, sanitation in the hospitality industries, international regulation etc. 21 components made of environmental health according to World Health Organisation, WHO ” he stated.
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi said that the document would help the Environmental Health practitioners in the country in regulating their activities.
Mr Abdullahi said that the Nigerian government and public offices would not recognise any document from the Environmental Health practitioners except if it is sealed.
“It requires every professional to work within stipulated guidelines and standards, especially as regards climate health,” he said.
He however called on public institutions that engaged in Environmental Health practice without the seal of authority, recognition and authenticity should not to be patronised.
“On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Environment, I officially present and launch the official gazette which evidenced the publication of members registered for membership practitioners of Nigeria the significance of this is that it makes membership very professional and it stops gathering where several people used the aim of Environmental Health officers to issue out media reports or consultancy services without actually been certified Environmental Health practitioners,” the Minister added.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, Representative in Nigeria, Dr Edwin Isoto-Eden said, that the programme would help to assess and see how business models would create jobs that could open up opportunities to reduce unemployment in Nigeria.
“If you look at the environmental context of Nigeria, you’ll find that the 9% of the national body of the disease in the country is related to risk factors from the environment. And of course, you cannot talk about it in the head of climate change. We cannot talk about sustainability without looking at cleaning product components which are the environment social inclusion and economy.” Dr Isoto-Eden added.
Poland Ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska said that the Nigerian government has done so much in terms of building awareness about the environment, environmental protection and environmental health.
“As we all know, we all live under one sky and everything that happens around the planet impacts all of us equally in terms of the environment, and it impacts our health, so such events are beneficial to everyone involved. I’m very proud to be here. I would like to congratulate all those specialists, scientists and officials who take care to improve the environmental health,” She explained.
