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More than 1,500 health professionals associated with the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria have not received their salaries for the past 20 months.
This inability to pay is due to a directive from the Federal Government that halted funding to certain government agencies.
The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, established by Act 11 of 2002 as amended, is the primary organization in Nigeria overseeing environmental health regulations and a variety of activities aimed at preventing disease transmission.
During the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014, environmental health officers were crucial in combating the virus.
Similarly, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental health officers were deployed at entry points such as airports, seaports, and land borders.
They also conducted internal and external decontamination of premises to curb the spread of the virus.
In 2023, a memo from the former Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, indicated that certain agencies, including the Environmental Health Council, would transition to being entirely self-funded, assuming responsibility for their personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures.
The memo noted that the Presidential Committee on Salaries, in its 13th meeting, had approved the halting of budgetary allocations to professional bodies and councils starting December 31, 2026.
Reports confirmed that some agencies would receive funding until 2026, while others would have their government funding cut by December 2024.
A list published by the Federal Government in 2024 indicated that 26 councils would experience budget cuts that year, potentially saving the country about N27.72bn.
Consequently, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria faced budget constraints, leading to deficits in annual overhead and personnel costs.
In 2024, there was a request from the then Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, to exempt health agencies from the funding cuts, resulting in the Federal Government allocating over N6bn for salary payments to 13 exempted health agencies.
Meanwhile, a letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, addressed to President Bola Tinubu on April 30, 2025, sought leniency for the health workers.
The letter referenced previous communications regarding the discontinuation of funding for specific health sector councils, including the Environmental Health Council, following decisions made by the Presidential Committee on Salaries.
The letter reminded the President of an appeal made at an earlier Federal Executive Council meeting for sustained funding of regulatory agencies essential to public health and the healthcare system.
The letter also noted that while funds were set aside in the 2024 Appropriation Act for various health sector regulatory agencies, the EHCON was excluded and received no allocation from the Federal Ministry of Environment.
This exclusion has caused significant financial strain on the agency and its staff, who have not been paid their salaries and operational expenses for the entirety of 2024.
The SGF's memo urged President Tinubu to reconsider and approve funding for the EHCON, highlighting their role in regulating environmental health practitioners who contribute to the preventive health and welfare of society, thereby addressing concerns regarding their funding exclusion.
