Environmental Health Officers Push for Cleaner, Safer Communities

By Titilayo Kupoliyi

In the furtherance of its motto, “health is wealth”, the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria on Thursday, embarked on a campaign to Agodi Motor Park, Gate, Ibadan to celebrate this year’s World Environment Health Day.

Speaking on the theme of the celebration, “Environmental Health: Creating Resilient Communities Through Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Mitigation and Adaptation’, the Oyo State President, Mr Abiodun Tijani pointed out that, it was important for people to desist from activities such as improper waste disposal, indiscriminate bush burning, open defecation etc, capable of causing environmental pollution and flood.

” We have discovered in recent time that, people are fond of bastarding the environment, they see the environment as their enemy instead of seeing it as a friend”.

“They dump waste into the environment, release obnoxious gases that can form or trigger the effects of climate change.

Mr Tijani noted that the programme was organised to remind the people of the importance of maintaining an hygienic society which in turn lead to a healthy life.

He advised residents to adopt the three ‘Rs’- Reduce waste generation, Reuse and Recycle it.

Contributing, Director, Environmental Health Services, Ifeloju Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Oke-Ogun Mr Sunday Oguntunji who maintained that cleanliness is next to godliness encouraged participants to always imbibe personal hygiene make to prevent diseases like cholera.

“Recently, there was cholera outbreak in some parts of the state, people need to make conscious effort at keeping food, water and their environment clean”.

Some of the participants lauded the association for organising the sensitization programme which they described as timely.