Association Demands Release Of Circular On Environmental Management

The Environmental
Management Association of Nigeria (EMAN), has appealed to the Head of Service of the Federation to release the circular on Scheme of Service for Environmental Management Officers’ Cadre.
Its President, Dr Emmanuel Ating, made this appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, saying the National Council on Establishments (NCE) had approved the scheme in 2006.
“This would make them to be properly placed within the public service structure,” he said.
Ating said that, “this approval was given after the council realised that environmental management is different from environmental health.
‘’The appeal to release the circular on the implementation of the Environmental Management Officers’ Cadre has become necessary as it was not included in the recent circular on Scheme of Service.
‘’Apart from Akwa Ibom State, other states have refused to start implementing the Scheme of Service because it was not reflected in the circular sent to them by the office of the Head of Service.
‘’And Environmental Management graduates are wrongfully employed as Environmental Health Officers which is frustrating,’’ he said.
Ating said that this was not encouraging as many graduates of Environmental Management were roaming the streets unemployed.
He said that more than 10 universities were offering Environmental Management Programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The EMAN president said that the courses for the programme also differ from that of Schools of Health Technology and College of Health Sciences.
He pleaded that the circular should be released and forwarded to all states and relevant agencies where environmental management services were needed.
It would be recalled that the approval for the scheme was contained in the letter from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation with Ref. No: B63279/T/141 of Oct. 28, 2008.