By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Two hundred and two newly qualified Environmental Health Scientists in Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, have been inducted into the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria in the 2nd oath-taking and induction ceremony which held in the institution.

The Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, in his address at the ceremony, urged the newly qualified scientists to emulate the ethics of professionalism by working tirelessly to protect and promote the health of the environment.

Professor Jimoh described environmental health professionals as the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes to ensure that the environment is safe, adding that their contributions were needed more urgently now with the global environmental challenges caused by climate change.

He challenged them to work to develop innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change, promote sustainable developments, and protect vulnerable populations from environmental hazards.

The Acting Vice Chancellor added that the university maintained its course in the constant production of total graduates who will be the change agents in advocacy, education, and leadership.

For his part, the Registrar of the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Dr. Yakubu Muhammed Baba, who was represented by Sanitarian Zakariyah Aliyu, charged the new inductees to bring the years of training they have received in the university to bear in their professional life.

He commended the institution for advancing the cause of environmental health by floating the bachelor’s degree programme, which has now grown to the university offering doctorate degrees in the discipline.

This, he said, is adding value to environmental health practitioners whose contributions to global public health were unquantifiable.