The Nigerian government has failed to pay more than 1,500 health professionals working for the Environmental Health Council for nearly two years after cutting budgets to various agencies.
The Nigerian Parliament created the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) in 2002 as the country’s main organisation responsible for overseeing environmental health rules and activities that help prevent the spread of diseases.
These health workers have played crucial roles during major health crises. During Nigeria’s Ebola outbreak in 2014, environmental health officers fought on the front lines against the deadly virus. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the government deployed them to all of Nigeria’s entry points – airports, seaports, and land borders. They also carried out cleaning and disinfection work both inside and outside buildings to stop the virus from spreading further.
