The Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) on Thursday donated fumigation machines, face masks and hand sanitisers to Nigeria Correctional Service, Kuje, FCT.
The Minister, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, while distributing the items in Abuja, said the effort was to mark the International Handwashing Day, with the theme, “Hand Hygiene For All’’.
According to Abubakar, government wants to let the inmates know that it cares and is committed in ensuring that COVID -19 is prevented effectively among them.
“I want to enlist every Nigerian to be a vanguard of this year’s hand washing campaign, because it is by so doing that we can
avoid most diseases including COVID-19 that can be spread through hand contact.
“This year’s theme is “Hand Hygiene for All” and is very apt in view of the present COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on the global community; as good hand hygiene helps prevent the spread of germs and COVID-19 virus.
“Hand hygiene is a component of environmental sanitation, which is the sum total of activities embarked upon to protect humans from illnesses, transmission of diseases or loss of life due to unclean surrounding.
“It entails the safe management of human excreta, environmental cleanliness, personal hygiene including hand washing hygiene, pest and vector control, garbage removal and wastewater disposal,” he said.
Responding, Controller of Correctional Service, Ja`afaru Ahmed, thanked the Federal Government for celebrating with the inmates, on the occasion of International Handwashing Day.
“I want to thank the government for choosing the less privileged in the society. I am also thanking other development partners for all their support to ensure that the inmates are recognised efficiently,” Ahmed said.
Also, Dr Baba Yakubu, Registrar, EHORECON, said the council in collaboration with the ministry, will ensure that Nigerians as well as the inmates continue to feel the presence of all environmental health officials.
Yakubu said that sanitary inspectors, through the directive from the ministry, have been spread across the country to ensure that COVID-19 and other chronic diseases are prevented.
He said that EHORECON has enough manpower for effective service delivery, adding that recently, the environment minister also deployed 60,000 voluntary environmental health workers in 774 LGAs across the country.
