By Fatima Saka
The Minister of Environment Barr. Mohammed H. Abdullahi has revealed that the environment is more and more being negatively impacted, in turn, causing disease and other health challenges in the human space.
Abdullahi revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja, while delivering his keynote address at the National Environmental Health Business forum, on a three day workshop, organized by Environmental Health Council of Nigeria.
With the theme: “Development Sustainable Environment Health”.
Speaking on, the minister lamented that the Environmental Health Risks and Exposures are responsible for the global burden of morbidity.
He revealed that Environmental health should be concerned about preventing disease and disability, also reducing exposure to adverse environmental conditions and promoting behavioural change in the angle of business which includes the human endeavors which cut across the sectors, following the infrastructure, energy transportation, mining, and agriculture.
The minister said that all these sectors can be monitored and controlled, additing that there is huge potential in improving health challenges and saved lives, by providing
the good and safe water, in the areas of poor hygiene and sanitation, housing, and air pollution.
Also, he added that the vector chemical hazards, injuries and accidents considered were predisposing factors of mortality and mobility in Africa.
However, Abdullahi urged the private sectors and other resource personnel to dive into the opportunities to incur cash, likewise in efforts to solve intractable environmental health challenges ranging from product development, service delivery, education, and communication, such as advocacy opportunities.
“Environmental health is evolving in Nigeria, and the strategic policy directions of the federal government, the government has in the last two decades, fascinated by the emergence of the heater from occupation into profession and is growing from strength to strength.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment is making the Environmental Health sub-sector flourish to its potential or reduction of the disease.
“Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the environmental health officials Act into law, to further empower the council to regulate more effectively expediently to note that the success of the profession is in the hands of the professionals who should work towards making the tribe competitive and beneficial to humanity and themselves,” he added.
Also, in his welcomed address, Sanitarian Dr. Yakubu Mohammed Baba, the registrar Environmental Health Council of Nigeria said the three days workshop will unveil some certain information about the practice of environmental health in order to rebrand and migrate the progression from analog to digital.
“We are thinking outside the box and that’s why we invited environmental practitioners in order to create new courses, and create opportunities to come up with a roadmap that can bring sustainable health programs,” he stated.
Additionally, in her goodwill messages, Joanna Tarnavska, Amb. The Republic of Poland to Nigeria, shows gratitude for being part of the workshop and to the Nigerian government in terms of building awareness about the environment, environmental protection and environmental health.
“As we all know, we all live under one sky, everything around the planet impacts all of us in terms of environmental impact,” she added.
