By Muhammad Amaan
The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has reiterated its commitment to implementing the National Emergency Response Initiative on Environmental Public Health Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (NERI-EPHIGGE) across the country.
Registrar of EHCON, Dr Yakubu Baba, stated this during the Stakeholders Engagement on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Declaration of a Public Health Emergency on Environmental-Related Diseases in Abuja.
He explained that the NERI-EPHIGGE framework provides a structured, coordinated, and results-driven approach to addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Dr Baba decried that environmental-related diseases linked to GHG emissions remain one of Nigeria’s most pressing yet under-recognised public health challenges.
“Immediate and coordinated action is essential to prevent further loss of lives and safeguard national development,” he said.
He outlined key pillars of EHCON’s implementation plan, including the nationwide deployment of Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) to all 774 local government areas and six area councils of the FCT.
These practitioners are expected to serve as frontline agents for environmental health surveillance, compliance monitoring, and community risk communication.
Baba added that the council would collaborate with other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to roll out mandatory emissions testing, environmental health compliance certification, and standardised reporting mechanisms for industries and transport operators.
“EHCON will operationalise environmental health surveillance and response units to monitor emission-related health risks, conduct routine environmental inspections, collect and report real-time data, and support emergency environmental health interventions,” he said.
He noted that the council will work closely with the Federal Ministry of Environment, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Federal Ministries of Health and Transportation, State Ministries of Environment, and Local Government Environmental Health Departments.
He added that continuous training and professional development for EHPs will ensure they are equipped with modern surveillance tools, digital data collection systems, advanced risk assessment skills, and effective community engagement strategies.
Baba said the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s Climate Change Act, national environmental regulations, the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Sustainable Development Goals, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He stressed that EHCON is ready to lead the technical implementation, working with all stakeholders to safeguard Nigerians’ health and protect the environment.
The registrar explained that the engagement was convened to present findings from extensive field surveillance, environmental health assessments, and stakeholder consultations conducted by EHCON as part of its statutory mandate.
“We have observed a rising burden of environmental-related diseases linked to greenhouse gas emissions.
“These pollutants not only harm our environment but directly endanger the health, productivity, and livelihoods of Nigerians. This engagement is not merely a meeting, it is a national call to action,” he said.
Dr Samuel Akingbehin, National President of the Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners of Nigeria, assured the council of the association’s readiness to collaborate in bridging government policy with grassroots implementation for a safer, healthier country.
Mr Obriki Juliano, Chief Executive Officer of Oxytane Africa Investment Ltd, said the organisation is mandated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency across the transportation, power, and industrial sectors.
He pledged commitment to work with EHCON and relevant agencies to minimise emissions and ensure a safer society.
