The Department of Environmental Health Science (EHS), Faculty of Health Sciences of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has inaugurated the newly built Environmental Health Sanitation Ground at the Abuja Model Study Centre, Dutse-Alhaji, Abuja.
The state-of-the-art sanitation ground, dedicated for students’ demonstration, was commissioned on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 and was equipped with modern facilities, water treatment, air pollution control system, among others.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, represented by the Deputy-Vice Chancellor, Administration (DVC-Admin), Prof. Isaac Butswat, while unveiling the sanitation ground, commended the effort of the dean of the faculty, Prof. Shehu Usman,
The VC particularly applauded the Environmental Health and the supportive staff of the faculty as well as the Director, Abuja Model Study Centre, Prof. Sam Ayodele.
Emphasising on the importance of health for physical well-being, Butswat urged everyone to be of high sanitary sensitivity in order to get rid of harmful entities in their different forms.
According to him, the demonstration ground will add tremendous value not only to the faculty and department but also to the university as a whole.
While thanking all and sundry for attending the ceremony, he added that “Building the sanitation ground is to demonstrate to students the importance of having proper sanitation.”
Leading the entourage on a tour round the facility, the dean of the faculty said “defecating outside is one of the major health problems we have in the country as it causes several diseases that are water related and non-water related diseases deposited through urine and faeces.”
Adamu added that if there were proper sanitation measures, such diseases cannot occur in the first place.
Speaking on the ventilated improved pit latrine, Adamu said“the difference between this and the traditional pit latrine is that it has a ventilation with red tubes behind it.
“If you go round, you will see that half of it is inside, half is outside, then the methane gas that is being generated out of the faecal material, doesn’t usually come out, because in a normal traditional pit latrine, you find that the methane gas is usually disturbing people within the residence and the smell will be so much, but now when you have ventilative control, it has a vent outside and it takes away all the gases.”
He further expressed his appreciation to the university management and to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, for the support to actualize the project, even as he appealed for more support to the faculty.
“We need a little additional land so that we can have air quality control system where we can teach students how to monitor the quality of air, which is part of the environmental health studies,”he stated.
“While fielding questions from the VC on recycling, he explained that the demonstration ground is not for use, except for demonstration by students.
Meanwhile, the Head of Department (HOD), Environmental health, Dr. Oluremi Salihu, also made an appeal to the VC for a piece of land at the model study centre for a composite toilet to recycle waste materials as she said recycling waste materials is part of the department’s plan.
She thanked the VC for his time and support and also the dean of the faculty for his support.
Representatives of the environmental health science administration company were present at the ceremony.
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