Environmental health workers appeal to Bayelsa Government to lift inspection ban
Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa, Trek Africa Newspaper
The Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), Bayelsa chapter, has urged the state government to reconsider its stance and lift the ban on routine inspections.
EHOAN President, Sanitarian Tareware Theophilus Ebikapade, who made appeal in an interview in Yenagoa Bayelsa State said the ban resulted from conflicting roles among environmental health workers in various agencies.
According to him, the ban, imposed by Deputy Governor Senator Lawrence Eruwdjakpor in November 2021, was initially meant to last one month but has persisted for three years.
Ebikapade noted that the association has made several appeals, including a June 2022 meeting with the Deputy Governor, and written several letters on the need to lift the ban but to no avail.
He expressed regret over the ban’s impact on environmental health workers’ ability to ensure a clean and healthy environment.
He highlighted their critical role in inspecting businesses and homes, arresting and prosecuting defaulters, and preventing disease outbreaks.
Since the ban, Ebikapade noted there has been an increase in unwholesome products and communicable diseases due to unclean environments, emphasizing that prevention is less expensive than cure.
Ebikapade said ” the office of the Deputy governor came up with a radio announcement the environmental health workers in the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Sanitation Authority and the Yenagoa Local Government Council should stop inspection work for one month that was in November 2021but as we speak today it has lasted for three years.
” The reason for that is as a result of role conflict in inspection work. The fact is who is to inspect Opolo market. A case in point is where environmental health workers from ministry of environment will inspect say Opolo and in the next one hour you will see inspectors from sanitation authority and in the next hour you will see other inspectors from Yenagoa Council.
” So this matter was reported to the Deputy governor and besides a Director of Environmental Health in the ministry of environment wrote a letter that all environmental health workers should report to him and this led to the Deputy governor placing a ban on inspection work”
He enumerated some of the functions of the environmental health workers to include Food hygiene and control, Solid waste management, Excreta and waste water management, Sanitary inspection of premises, Water resources management and sanitatio,.Pests and vector control, Epidemiological control and investigation, nvironmental and health impact assessment (EIA/EHIA) and pollution control and abatement (Air, Water and Soil).