Environmental Profession in a state of decadence; a need for urgent rescue.

In the cause of our fundamental demand for Permanent employment of the Environmental Health Graduates', we received insult and intimidation. Some of our members in Kano and elsewhere had been contacted, intimidated and promised job opportunity just in order to win them to their side. We refuse to be intimidated by the directionless, uncoordinated leadership of EHORECON and it bureaucracy and we dear challenge them to debate with us as they have claimed to be more educated than us. This time around, we shall not spare them another year of clueless and retrogressive. We shall remain resilient and uncompromising in the cause of this struggle for the employment of the Environmental Health Graduates'. The following is the article we wrote two years ago about the passive attitude of the EHORECON. please enjoy ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION IN A STATE OF DECADENCE; A NEED FOR URGENT RESCUE. We of the Environmental Health Graduate’s Action Front (EHGAF) writes to express our long term discontent over series of issues ranging from unemployment of the Environmental Health Graduates, non-accreditation of some colleges of health, non-mobilization of the Environmental Health Technology Students for NYSC (applicable to the accredited colleges of health), etc. We as a body clearly understand that it is the total negligence of the Federal Government which has failed to provide jobs that is one of the factors responsible for the unemployment crisis, which is not restricted to environmental graduates alone. Unemployment is a major nightmare confronting Nigerian youth. In general, over 40 million (about 54% youth unemployment rate) Nigerian youths are without jobs of any kind. To tackle this challenge, aside from different initiatives from the states government, for example, Yes-O, O-Yes, etc., the President Buhari All Progressive Congress (APC) government recently launched a youth unemployment scheme tagged N-power. This casual job scheme is the solution provided by a supposed government of change to end joblessness in Nigeria, yet Environmental Health Graduates are even exempted from this petty Job which requires the NYSC certificate. But at the same time, we feel that it is the passive attitude of the joint body of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) which has failed in placing the matter of environment health graduates before the government as an urgent issue of national importance that is responsible for the current crisis. In place of this, we have witnessed a series of casual jobs created by the states governments to replace professional jobs like ours (Environmental Health). The EHORECON and the EHOAN in various states would have prevented this occurrence by making the government realize the need for the employment of graduates of Environmental Health. We are very aware that most of our state governments have nothing good in their various agenda to engage the youth in the states in any permanent job, but the so-called EHORECON body has also totally failed in showing commitment to address the plight of graduates of this profession. In view of this, we realized that the EHORECON as the national body of the Environmental Health practitioners is not interested in the progress of this profession. They are only being passionate about the money to be collected from the graduates of the environmental health through their license certificate which is mandated for the environmental health graduates, regardless of whether they are employed or not. Not only that, but EHORECON certificate fee is also too outrageous for graduates who are not employed or the government workers who are owed months salaries. This is an utmost act of callousness and reactionary with no reflection of love. This shows that these bunches of elements called EHORECON are only after our money not after the progress of the profession. Moreover, the EHORECON as a national body and the registration council of the environmental health officers is expected to work in accordance with the code of conduct of the profession, also to foresee affairs pertaining to Environmental Health. Unfortunately, the EHORECON has so much spoiled the profession to the extent that they employ, through the back door, their sons and daughters and that of the politicians and these employed graduates course of study are not even directly under environmental health. While EHORECON, EHOAN at every state level, States Ministry of Health, States governments and the West Africa Examination Board (WAHEB) are all busy embezzling the huge amount of money paid into their various accounts, most colleges of health and schools of hygiene in our states remain in a state of decadence. Money collected from these students are not used to maintain and promote the standard of these schools, rather, most of them are in a deplorable and dilapidated state, lacking standard libraries and laboratories and with decaying infrastructures. Also, most of these schools have not been accredited until date. This has made it difficult for the graduates in these schools to be mobilized for NYSC, and those accredited colleges face similar problems as most of them were only given exclusion certificate that solved no problem, rather it has made it difficult for the Environmental Health Graduates to get employed in most of the government ministries and private bodies. Meanwhile some disgruntled elements among the members of the other profession, EHORECON and EHOAN have suggested that with the unemployment issues that continue to grip the profession, the jobless environmental health students should further their studies or they should venture into waste management and pest control management. While these are brilliant suggestions, at the same time the possibility of it should be considered in a country where the quality and quantity of life for the majority of Nigerians vis-à-vis the basic means of living have drastically plummeted, the non-payment of the workers’ salaries remain unsolved, or is education free in Nigeria?. Also, if the unemployed graduates of environmental health are to venture into waste and pest management the question is that does it cost little to start those businesses? More so while this suggestion of self-help could only assist a few graduates to escape unemployment and hunger for a while, it does not answer the broader question of how to ensure adequate staffing at public health institutions and community health centres that currently suffer from insufficient medical and environmental health professionals aside shortage of equipment and essential drugs. It is not for nothing that Nigeria still has a high incidence of mother and infant mortality, low life expectancy, and the prevalence of diseases like polio and cholera. Unless the crisis of unemployment of environmental graduates and other health professionals is resolved, the consequence is that the country’s public health institutions, especially in communities and rural areas, will continue to lack adequate environmental health professionals to the detriment of vast numbers of low-income, poor working class and peasant families who depend on these services for their basic health care needs. Unlike the other profession, for instance, Nursing where their National Body severally strikes not only to address the non-payment of their salaries, or full implementation of an agreement that government made with them but also at all time relates all these issues with the employment of nurses. Also, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) regularly organizes media campaign and strikes to fight for the interest of their members. This is the kind of tradition that EHORECON should emulate. Without mass struggle, nothing can be achieved. If the EHORECON should decide to call a national meeting of all environmental health practitioners and graduates with a view to start a campaign to begin to fight for the interests of environmental health practitioners and graduates, the response could be massive. This kind of initiative can lay the basis for drawing up and putting before the federal and state governments a list of demands for which the organization can regularly mobilize protests, demonstrations, and strikes until they are met. The EHORECON also should do more in encouraging government and every other private sector to empower the graduates of environmental health. We clearly realized that according to how the responsibility of the EHORECON stated in her Constitution, EHORECON has not in an inch worked in line with its aims and the responsibility attached to it. The following are the responsibility tagged with the EHORECON and EHOAN. • To promote and foster the Organization and unity of all Environmental Officers/Technologies employed in the services of the federal, state and local Governments, public corporations, universities, private organizations, and such like establishments in Nigeria. • To promote, and foster the interest of its members through advocacy, linkages, and interactions using available means of communication. • To publish a newsletter, magazines, or any other means of information and disseminate the same in the interest of its members and the general public. • To advance the education and training of its members and employees and establish the award of scholarships, certificates, medals, and prizes for outstanding performance. Akande Daniel Babatude Acting National Coordinator, EHGAF. Environmental Activist, FCT, Abuja. 08034730340 tdandses@yahoo.com Adesokan Taiwo Acting National Secretary, EHGAF. 0814943846