Environmental Health Officers, all over the world, are at the forefront of preventive public health (preventive medicine), as every aspect of environmental health is designed to improve the health of the public and wellbeing.
Environmental health is a profession charged with the responsibility to ensure all human environmental activities meet W.H.O standards by enforcing the extant statutory regulations.
Environmental Health professional have come a long way, metamorphosing into what we have now. It is the Sanitary inspector of those days The Environmental Health profession remained unregulated in Nigeria over the years until 2002, when the then democratic government headed by president Olusegun Obasanjo, decided to grant its professional recognition through the enactment of the Environmental Health Officers' Registration Council, (EHORECON ) Act 11 of 2002. The Act established the Council charged with the responsibility of regulating Environmental Health profession in Nigeria
JOB EXPECTATION OF THE EHO (AS OBTAINED GLOBALLY).
In pursuance to the provisions of the Public Health Laws, the Environmental Health Officers' Practice regulations, and all relevant environmental laws as applicable, the Environmental Health Officer is expected to carry out regulatory duties, though largely depending on where he is engaged to work, to perform regulatory activities in areas such as:
a.) Food safety
b.) Environmental protection
c.) Noise, radiation and pollution control
d.) Drinking water standards
e.) Health and safety regulation at workplace
f.) Animal welfare stray control
g.) Waste management (including medical waste)
h.) Ensuring Sanitary Housing standards
i.) Public Health duties relating preventive medicine.
The Environmental Health Officer works for the local government authority, the NHIS, Armed Forces/Police, or the Federal and State governments. They also, by statutory provision, work in organisations and Agencies like NAFDAC, NODSRA, NESREA, Disease Control/prevention Agencies, NEITI etc... .
The Environmental Health Officer (EHO) also work as environmental health consultant in the private sector, advising businesses and individuals on extant Environmental Health Law compliance. 
Some EHOs are specialised in one area, or another after graduation, while some still deal with all environmental health issues in the local government area, state / federal govt. or even in private companies.
The day-to-day duties of Environmental Health Officers may include:
1.) Inspecting schools and business premises for health and safety,
2.) Food hygiene and food standards regulations,
3.) Following up complaints
4.) Investigating outbreaks of food poisoning and infectious disease(s)
5.) Pest control and management
6.) Collecting samples for laboratory testing
7.) Enforcing environmental health laws through service of abatement notice
8.) Investigating public Health related accidents at workplace, residential premises and schools.
9.) Advising community groups and giving educational talks
10.) prosecution of relevant law offenders and giving evidence as Principal witness (PW1) in court
11.) Writing records and reports to relevant authorities or employers on environmental Health issues.
12.) Advising employers and the general public on all environmental health matters.
Considering the above, it is then very worrisome why the Rivers State Government have consistently refused to employ fresh Environmental Health Officers to fill the vacancies created by the legitimate retirement of over 95% of Environmental Health Officers that maned that sector over the years. Its also very clear that the statutory responsibility of the Environmental Health officer is very crucial to societal hygiene condition and disease control.
Today, Rivers State cannot boast of up to two hundred (200) qualified Environmental health officers in the state civil service. That is adding both those EHOs in the Rivers State Ministry of Health and that of Ministry Of Environment. Isn't that worrisome?
No wonder why the state is getting filthier by the day. The Ministry of Environment alone cannot boast of anything more than seventy five (75) qualified Environmental Health officers still serving in there. Seventy-five (75) Environmental Health Officers to cover Port Harcourt alone is a huge joke.
Why won't Sanitation and hygiene standards drop significantly in the state? My worry is the barefaced indifference posture displayed by the Rivers State government over the years till date, to the lingering issues caused by the non employment of new EHOs.
IS THIS A PLOY TO EXTINCT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION IN RIVERS STATE?
Who is writing that script that is already plunging the state into very poor sanitation/ hygiene standards?
Rivers State Government must as a matter of urgency, cause the employment of at least one thousand (1000) fresh Environmental Health Officers into the state Civil Service just as the Taraba state government did recently. Other States like Lagos and Calabar, have equally sustained the employment of Environmental health officers till date except the Rivers State, why???
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MUST NOT DIE IN RIVERS STATE ELSE DISEASE CONTROL, HOUSE-TO-HOUSE INSPECTION, AND SANITATION STANDARDS OF THE STATE WOULD BE LAUGHABLE.
It is very shocking that since the inception of Democracy in 1999, no new Environmental Health Officer have been employed by successive governments in Rivers state till this day. The current shortage of manpower in that profession in Rivers State, today is incredibly shocking. Why would a state government allow such decay for this long? Yet billions and trillions of Rivers money is being looted by the same politicians.
The immediate past administration of Rivers state actually promised to correct that anomaly but ended up employing only medical doctors, nurses, and other scientific officers, and surprisingly as it were, left out employment of Environmental Health Officers in Rivers State. THIS IS GROSS INJUSTICE AND DELIBERATE DISREGARD/ MAGINALIZATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION IN RIVERS STATE.
One would have no choice but to wonder why the labour unions; EHOAN , EHORECON been quiet over such plot to kill Environmental Health in Rivers state.
I call on all well meaning persons in Rivers state to rise up and prevail on the Rivers State government immediately declare a state of emergency on Environmental Health in Rivers state and the time is now.
As if that's not enough, Even the waste management agency has been highjacked by politicians. Environmental health officers have been relegated to the background in such serious and professional matter as waste management. The RIWAMA LAW is being breached with impunity, daily by politicians not letting the Environmental Health Officers handle waste management professionally as enshrined in the RIWAMA LAW, 2014. The RIWAMA Law specified in clear terms that only INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT should be employed in managing waste in Rivers state. But there is gross violation of the law till date.
What is common in Rivers State till date is open dumping of refuse by the road sides of most major roads. This is against the RIWAMA LAW, 2014 and must be changed. POLITICIANS SHOULD ALLOW THE EMPLOYMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS AND LET THEM PROFESSIONALLY DO THEIR LEGITIMATE DUTY AS IT CONCERNS WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RIVERS STATE
INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT MUST BE ENFORCEED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RIWAMA LAW.
Retired Police commissioner Oyakhilome, the then military administrator of Rivers State did establish the defunct Sanitation Authority in 1986 and directly engaged Environmental Health officers to manage Environmental Health activities in Port Harcourt city and its environs and by extension, Rivers state. Then port Harcourt was relatively cleaner with wastes properly and professionally handled/ supervised. I still remember the SULO company from Germany that was brought in with full equipments, compactor refuse trucks etc by the then military administration under police commissioner Fidelis Oyakhilome . That was the highest point so far. All successive governments only bastardized the legacy of Oyakhilome. Now is even worse. Even to employ Environmental Health Officers is seemingly toomuch for the politician-led Rivers state government.
This narrative must change.
"...politicians should allow the employment of Environmental Health officers and let them professionally do their legitimate duty as it concerns waste management in the Rivers state
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