Fire Service not licensed to carry out fumigation -Environmental officers

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria ( EHORECON) said the Federal FireService(FFS) was not among licensed organizations to carry out fumigation in the country.

The agency has criticised the Federal Fire Service for carrying out fumigation at the Ekiti State Government owned College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero Ekiti.

According to a press statement issued and signed by its Head, Public Affairs, Kehinde Openibo,

titled, “Re: 100 students collapsed after inhaling fumigation chemicals in Ekiti,’ in reaction to the Wednesday incident at the college where about 100 students were said to have been hospitalised following fumigation of the school by men suspected to be from the Federal Fire Service.

It said decontamination or disinfection was not within the organisational mandates of the FFS.

The state government had suspended the school provost in response to the incident.

But the statement by the council read in part, “In addition to the above, an earlier memo which emanated from the Federal Fire Service and signed by one Momoh B. (Commanding Officer, Abuja) was equally sent to the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria informing the council of its intention to come and disinfect and decontaminate EHORECON premises.

The council also observed that the same document has been sent to other ministries, departments and agencies.

The initial stance of the council was to ignore the letter sent but on further reflection, the council considers it duty bound to make this factual presentation of the issues to the organisations, stakeholders and members of the public in Nigeria to whom we are accountable that the only Federal Government organisation with powers to decontaminate and disinfect public institutions and private organisations is the Federal Ministry of Environment anchored by licensed environmental health officers who are trained in the safe composition and dispensing of the approved formulation for this exercise.

Meanwhile, the Federal Fire Service on Friday said the decontamination at the School of Health Science and Technology, Ijero Ekiti, followed the laid down standards.