EHORECON, FEDERAL FIRE SERVICE DISAGREE OVER FUMIGATION OF EKITI COLLEGE

The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria has criticised the Federal Fire Service for carrying out fumigation at the Ekiti State Government-owned College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero Ekiti.

The council said the fire service was not among organisations licensed to carry out fumigation in the country.

Its position was contained in a statement on Friday 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.

It also said reports that 15 students of the college collapsed while some were hospitalised as a result of the decontamination exercise carried out by the agency were not true.

Speaking on its roles in the incident, the FFS, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Ms Ugo Huan, on Friday titled, ‘Decontamination exercise at the School of Health Science and Technology, Ijero Ekiti,’ explained that the decontamination exercise in the school, in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed all approved guidelines and protocols.

It said the Federal Fire Service got the  approval to conduct the decontamination exercise from the school authorities, adding that while the exercise was being carried out, reports came that some students had been affected by the adverse effects of the decontamination.

 The statement read in part, “Trouble started 15 minutes after the decontamination exercise started with reports that some students had collapsed due to the adverse effect of the decontamination exercise. Our men immediately stopped the decontamination, but by
then, the students came attacking our men, almost lynching them.

“It took the intervention of the school security, who took them to the registrar’s office, and later, (they) were whisked away by armed police officers of the Rapid Response Team.”