Education
Bauchi, Gombe intensify sanitary inspections to prevent disease outbreaks – EnviroNews
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The Bauchi and Gombe state governments have intensified enforcement of environmental sanitation and hygiene regulations to prevent disease outbreaks and promote public health.
They also adopted proactive monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance to good hygiene and sanitary practices by food handlers, markets and groceries.
Stakeholders including, environmentalists, health and government officials as well as residents, said this in separate interviews in Bauchi, Dutse and Gombe.
Mr. Mohammed Saleh, Director of Inspection, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), said that the agency had deployed 500 environmental health inspection officers across the 20 local government areas of the state.
He said that the deployment was to strengthen enforcement through routine inspection of regulated and non-regulated premises, to ensure compliance with environmental health standards.
Saleh said that the inspection exercise covered restaurants, schools, bakeries, water factories and other food-handling establishments.
He said that the personnel assessed the cleanliness and arrangement of utensils, food storage facilities and general hygiene practices.
The director said that the food handlers were required to undergo medical examinations at approved health facilities and display their medical certificates for customers to see.
“We also have health inspection officers at the abattoir who conduct post-mortem examinations on meat and animal organs.
“Where any defect with potential health risk is detected, the affected meat or organs are condemned and destroyed,” he said.
Saleh said that food and fruit hawkers were also monitored to ensure compliance with hygiene standards.
On residential homes inspection, Saleh said that the exercise focused on drainage systems, water points, and the distance between water sources and septic tanks.
“Water sources and septic tanks must maintain a minimum distance of 30 metres, to prevent underground contamination,” he said.
Also, Mahmud Bose, Director-General of the agency, said that they adopted enforcement measures to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
He said that defaulters were initially issued notices and warnings, adding that persistent violations could lead to prosecution before an environmental mobile court.
Bose said that penalties for violators depended on the gravity of the offences, adding that the agency adopted a non-custodial sentencing, under which offenders were subjected to perform community service for one hour daily for between 30 and 40 days.
He said that offenders were being supervised by officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), while fines were also applied, depending on the nature of the offences.
On challenges, Bose identified poor attitudes towards environmental sanitation and inadequate inspection personnel amid the state’s growing population.
Similarly; the Gombe government has introduced a mobile court to strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws to improve sanitation in the state.
Dr. Umar Musa, Head of Sanitation, Gombe State Environmental Sanitation and Protection Agency (GOSEPA), said that the measure was to prevent disease outbreak, maintain environmental cleanliness and protect public health.
Musa said that environmental health officers conducted routine inspections of homes, markets, hospitals and abattoirs to ensure compliance with hygiene standards.
He said that the state also observed a monthly sanitation exercise, to clear waste and desilt drains to prevent flooding and disease outbreak.
The official highlighted that the agency was conducting a Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) campaign, to encourage good hygiene practices.
Musa said that the state had recorded 85 per cent compliance through the exercise, noting that the agency prioritised public education and voluntary compliance over punishment.
“Our environmental health officers conduct routine inspections of homes and other premises.
“We identify offences, engage offenders verbally and issue written notices with a view to give them an opportunity to comply.
“We do not resort to law enforcement unless it becomes necessary. Our priority is to educate the people, provide guidance and encourage voluntary compliance,” he said.
However, some residents of Bauchi and Dutse in Jigawa, had decried the lack of sanitary inspectors in their communities.
Mrs. Grace Ojeli, an eatery operator, said that sanitary inspectors regularly visit her business premises to ensure compliance with hygiene and sanitation guidelines.
Another food vendor in Bauchi, Rhoda Adamu, recalled that she conducted a medical examination before securing an operational license by the environmental agency.
A food vendor in Dutse, Jummai Abubakar, who has been in the trade in the last 20 years, said that sanitary inspectors previously visited her premises to assess food-handling practices and environmental cleanliness.
“They used to inspect the food, and the cleanliness of our business premises.
“If they found that we had not swept or cleaned the place, they would instruct us to do so,” she said.
Abubakar, however, expressed concern over the decline in routine inspections, adding that the exercise stopped in the last one year.
She called for the restoration of regular inspections, noting that, “proper food hygiene is directly linked to public health.
“Some food vendors might neglect essential cleanliness standards without consistent monitoring,” she said.
Ms. Usaina Adamu, who corroborated Abubakar, said that no sanitary inspector visited her premises since she commenced operations nine months ago.
“Restoring the sanitary inspection will help greatly because the officers are trained in this field and know more about the things we need to pay attention to,” she said.
The food vendor further highlighted the need for sustained sanitary inspections, public education and effective enforcement of environmental health regulations.
Also commenting, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Birnin Kudu, identified inadequate funding, shortage of environmental health officers and weak enforcement of sanitation regulations as some of the challenges affecting sanitary inspections in Nigeria.
Ahmad underscored the importance of regular sanitary inspections in disease prevention, promotion of environmental and public health.
He recalled that sanitary inspectors played significant roles in Nigeria’s public health system during the colonial era and the 80s, when routine inspections helped in maintaining environmental cleanliness and hygiene standards.
The expert identified poor coordination among the line ministries, inadequate public awareness, political interference and corruption as undermining effective sanitary inspections.
According to Ahmad, weak institutional oversight and inadequate prosecution of sanitation offenders often triggers flagrant violations of environmental health regulations.
Ahmad advocated for the review of existing sanitation laws, recruitment and retraining of environmental health officers, as well as dedicated budgetary allocations for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services.
He also recommended the establishment of specialised courts to handle sanitation-related offences, and a coordinating office in ministries of health to supervise and monitor inspection activities.
While urging for sustained awareness campaigns, Ahmad called for the introduction of environmental and food hygiene education in the national curriculum.
