Abia State Government has stated plans to reintroduce sanitary inspection system, previously known in colonial days in Igboland, as ‘Ndi Ole Ala’, in all Local Government Areas of the state.
This was made known by the State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Asonye Ogbonna in Umuahia during a meeting he had with environmental health officers and top local government officials.
They are to inspect the environmental conditions of urban and rural areas.
The Commissioner, who said that the move was to provide quality health for Abia residents, also said that the initiative would help in preventing the outbreak of diseases.
He cited the important roles that were played by sanitary inspectors in the past which ensured that people kept their homes neat and remained free of deadly diseases.
While urging the traditional rulers to always mobilize their subjects to clean up their surroundings, Ogbonna promised to tackle several challenges confronting the operations of the environmental health officers.
Responding, the environmental health officers lauded the State government for the bold initiative but complained that their operations were hampered by some challenges, which include lack of a cemetery for the burial of unidentified corpses, especially dead bodies that were found in decomposing state.
They further called for regular funding of their operations, promising to penetrate every nook and cranny of the State in conducting sanitary inspections.
