By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
In a bid to stem the rate at which Cholera is ravaging the country, the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) had taken the gauntlet to the door step of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to synergize on how to control Cholera and other related diseases in the country.
The EHORECON boss Dr. Baba Yakubu Mohamed while on a recent visit to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) pleaded with the NCDC Director General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu to establish the Environmental health and public health department in their establishment in order to facilitate easy coordination between the two organizations.
According to Dr. Baba “we want NCDC to also have a laboratory where water, air, food and soil can be analyzed at a good interval so as to be able to identify the disease possession which would go a long way to addressing foodborne diseases that are ravaging our society”.
The EHORECON Registrar while acknowledging the role played by the NCDC boss Dr. Ihekweazu during the initial stage of Covid-19 and the role which is still being played, extended a hand of fellowship to the DG NCDC for capacity-building between the two organizations.
This was contained in statement signed and issued by Kehinde A. Openibo
Head, Public Affairs For: Registrar/CEO.
In his view:”this would support their men to tackle emerging and re-emerging diseases”
He informed Dr. Ihekweazu that his men have been up-to-date in trying to see them develop through scientific innovation that is guiding the practice of Environmental Health in Nigeria adding that the Council had started preaching specialty in the area which is critically needed in terms of disease control, he enthused.
Dr. Baba Yakubu recalled with nostalgia the Public health law which is a regional law which granted the powers and privileges to the Sanitary Inspectors to enter into any premises without a warrant for the purpose of inspection adding that such privileges and opportunities would go a long way for the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to leverage on and utilize the Environmental health officers in some of their activities as it relates to the mandate of NCDC.
The EHORECON boss reiterated that the Hon. Minister of Environment Dr. Mohammad Mahood Abubakar had just launched 2 additional Curricula that will further develop the profession of Environmental Health.
In his remarks, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu posited that the specific points made by the Registrar, EHORECON are well noted adding that it is another thing to think through on how those points would be realized.
