Lagos lawmakers seek return of health inspection officers

Some Lagos lawmakers on Monday called for the return of sanitary health officers and inspectors to address the problem of poor hygiene and sale of contaminated edibles.

The call was led by the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Mr Olusegun Olulade, under the “Matter of Public Urgency’’ during the plenary.

Olulade drew the attention of other lawmakers to the recent incident where some residents of a community consumed local salad popularly known as “abacha’, believed to have been contaminated by the bacteria causing the disease.

“In order to avert future recurrence, it was time for the state government to begin enlisting the services of health inspection officers from each local government and local council development area.

“These officers will be going from one food seller to another with a view to fishing out potentially-contaminated foods.

“Their presence and activity will go a long way in helping to rid our streets and markets of consumable foods that could become injurious to people’s health.

“The outbreak of the disease with the subsequent loss of six lives is regrettable. Its cause has been attributed to the consumption of contaminated local salad," he said.

ALSO READ: Commissioner says outbreak has been curtailed in Lagos

Olulade said, “There is the need for a stakeholders’ meeting involving relevant ministries and agencies to be held as soon as possible.’’

He said there was the need for the state government, through the Ministry of Information and Strategy, to commence immediate sensitisation of residents on the need to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene.

Another lawmaker, Mr Rotimi Olowo, also said that the return of health inspection officers, popularly known as `’Wole Wole’’ would go a long way in restoring the lost cleanliness in many homes and lives.

“Nowadays, it is not impossible to find people cooking food on soak-away (septic tanks) or open gutters. How will there not be cholera, dysentery or any other deadly disease

“If health inspectors are allowed to begin operating again, we might be nipping the problem in the bud in the future,’’ he said.

In his remark, the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, lauded the state government’s efforts in addressing the outbreak on time by promptly identifying the affected community and adequately quarantining the infected people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state ministry of health on September 22, 2016 announced the outbreak of cholera in Oshodi/Isolo LGA where about 45 people were diagnosed with the deadly disease, while six people eventually died.