Minister launches two authentication documents for environmental health

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi has launched two authentication documents to promote and guide sustainable environmental business in Nigeria.

Abdullahi made the disclosure yesterday during the maiden forum of National Environmental Health Business Forum, with the theme”Development Sustainable Environmental Health, Business Model in support of Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Drive”, yesterday in Abuja.

He said the documents are verifiable instruments for operators in the environmental service delivery in the country .

“We are concerned about the quality of service delivery in the pharmaceutical sector and insist that operators must imbibe the principles of duty of care, ensure protection and preservation of the environment and above all, work within the confines of a circular economy, which emphasize a green economy”.

“This, therefore, requires every professional to work within stipulated guidelines and standards, especially as regards climate health.

“The environmental health industry went by the policy guidelines and instruments developed by the Ministry has enormous potential to become automated and viable.

“Strict adherence to the provisions in these guidelines is expected to lead you to not only earn legitimate income as private operators on one hand but also on the other protecting the environment and the health of Nigerians.”

The Director General of the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON), said experts are looking at the opportunity of creating an enabling environment that would create about 10,000 new jobs in the sector.

He said the document launched would be the final authority on the licenses of operators in the business of environmental health services in Nigeria and would strengthen the supervision and control measures for safer environmental health in the country.

“We believe there are a lot of opportunities in environmental health. For example, it is the expectation of the council, that after deliberations in these three days, at least 10,000 jobs should be created within the sphere of environmental health.

“We are looking at the possibility of the players knowing the rules and regulations guiding the practice of the environmental health practitioners in Nigeria.”