The Lagos State government on Tuesday expressed its readiness to support the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, on the launch of the Environmental Surveillance Programme, ESPN, in the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr.Tokunbo Wahab, made this known when delegates from NCDC led by the consultant on Needs Assessment, Prof Olatunji Kolawole, came on a courtesy visit to the ministry to inform that the state had been selected as a site for the surveillance initiative.
Wahab said the health and environment sector could not be separated, hence the multi-sectoral approach for the surveillance was a welcome development.
“I am glad we are having this collaboration at this level, interestingly for the THEME+ of this administration, the second leg of that pillar is called Health and Environment. So for those that are knowledgeable, you will all agree that you can never separate the effects of the Environment on the Health Sector,” he said.
He said the government was willing to collaborate whenever the cause and effect of the Environment and Health was being discussed saying if the government fixed the basics in the environment ecosystem, it would definitely reduce the cost of the challenges that was being experienced in the health sector.
He said the programme aimed to establish a robust Environmental Surveillance system across the state with the capacity to detect outbreak-prone pathogens, monitor endemic disease patterns, support clinical surveillance, inform vaccination strategies, and act as an early warning system for future outbreaks.
He said the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had in recent past worked assiduously with the Ministry of Health during the cholera outbreak to proffer a lasting solution, adding that it was whatever the environment was unable to fix that ultimately became a challenge in the health sector.
He said, “We welcome you to Lagos, as Lagos believes environment is the father of all; we need to fix whatever we have to fix with the collaboration of our agencies which ranges from LASEPA, to LASWMO as well as LAWMA.”
Wahab stressed that since Lagos State had been selected as one of the five phase 2 pilot states for “the important initiative, the ministry is ready and willing to collaborate with NCDC to evaluate site requirements and resources critical for establishing effective environmental surveillance operations in the state.”
The Consultant on Needs Assessment, Prof. Olatunji Kolawole, in his response expressed appreciation to the state for its cooperation, saying it would greatly enhance the smooth implementation of the ESPN project’s objectives in Lagos State.
He added that the assessment consultant and their team would coordinate closely with relevant state officials to conduct the assessments effectively.
Also in attendance were the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite; General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Dr. Tunde Ajayi, General Manager Lagos Waste Water Management Office, LASWMO, Engr Femi Afolabi and other directors in the ministry.
