Posted on: Thu 05-03-2015

The Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie (Prof) has called for improved publicity for the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON).

Julius Okojie (Prof), who made the assertion recently when the board and staff of the Council led by the Chairman, Oladapo Afolabi (Prof) paid a courtesy visit on the Commission in Abuja advised the Council to run a programme on the broadcast media as well as produce more jingles for people to know and feel the impact of the organisation.

He expressed the NUC’s readiness to assist the Council in the areas of advocacy, curriculum development, career progression and other developmental issues. Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Oladapo Afolabi,  who is also a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation  said that they were at the NUC to show appreciation for the approval granted by the Commission to the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) accepted for the study of the profession of the Environmental Health.

Oladapo Afolabi recalled with nostalgia how the Environmental Health profession was appreciated in the 1920s and posited that he was particularly elated when the University of Ife introduced the health officers’ degree in 1972.

“We know today as we understand science better that really, the drugs and the curative approach do more damage than cure,” he said. He advocated for preventive rather than curative treatment which he noted does not do much in health care delivery.The EHORECON Chairman further hinted that plans are underway to clearly define careers for sectors like local governments and states, in order to work out a place for them and enable them become directors and do much more than what they are currently doing in the states.

He appealed to the Commission to approve more universities for the programme to popularise the profession.

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