FUTO holds 24th Public lecture

By Sani Garba Mohammed, FUTO

The 24th public lecture series of Federal University of Technology, Owerri [FUTO] was held on 31st may, 2011. The theme of the lecture is ‘Environmental health and sanitation as panacea to disease and control’, presented by an associate professor of public health, Prof Agwu Nkwa Amadi, which dwelt on the man-environment interaction, which directly or indirectly affect the health of the public, and what can be done to rectify it.
“Good environmental sanitation” said Prof Amadi “reduces the transmission dynamics of pathogens, thereby promoting good health and longevity, and attracts investors. It has an economic cost advantage in that people spend less to treat clinical diseases……”
Biblical and Quranic verses were quoted [ levictus 11-15, Mathew 15:2, Quran 74, verse 4, Quran 2 verse 222 etc.] to justify the importance of environmental health and sanitation. He also posited that 80% of diseases in Nigeria are environmentally based, hence the need to protect the environment.
Amadi added “Obviously, the environment in which people live influences their health. A healthy population is dependent upon a healthy environment. It shows that health, productivity and national development are all dependent on the level of sanitation……”
The lecturer identified some of the problems and constraints of environmental health and sanitation include like climatic and other ecological factors, poor funding and lack of coordination of environmental sanitation programme, inadequate environmental health data, illiteracy, poor public enlightment etc.
At the end, he called on the government to among others develop policies, plan and also assist at all levels in implementing action towards accelerating progress for achieving sanitation, invest more on environmental sanitation and encourages states and local government to do so, employ environmental health officer at various ministries, agencies, parastasal, hospitals, market, etc., to oversee environmental health issues, new laws to replace obsolete public health laws.
He concludes that “…environmental sanitation is a collective responsibility of the individual, the community and the government. This view requires that all hands be on deck to ensure the maintenance of a clean and safe environment for our health and survival….”
On the other hand, the university was commended for its foresight and pacesetter in all its undertaking by starting a degree programme in environmental health technology [which only FUTO runs it in Nigeria and even West Africa], by the Registrar of Environmental health officers registration council of Nigeria [EHORECON], Mr. Augustine Ebisike.
The occasion was attended by the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof COE Onwuliri, his deputy [administration], Prof GE Nwanko, registrar of the university, Mr Charles Omeire, other top officers of the university, various professors, head of departments, representatives of various organization within and outside Owerri, students, general public and others.