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The President of the Prime Environment Cleaners Network Association (PECNA), Barr. Yakubu Mohammed Yazeed, has challenged the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies over Nigeria’s preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks, insisting that professional cleaning and environmental hygiene must become national public health priorities.
Reacting to reports of an imported Ebola case in Abuja, Yazeed questioned the effectiveness of previously announced preventive measures.
“How many disease outbreaks must Nigeria experience before we take cleaning and environmental hygiene seriously? Government continues to announce preparedness measures, but where is the evidence of implementation, sustained surveillance and protection of frontline workers?”
He stressed that while investigations must establish the circumstances surrounding the case, Nigerians deserve transparency regarding border screening, early detection systems and the utilisation of emergency preparedness funds.
CLEANING IS PUBLIC HEALTH, NOT JUST A BUSINESS
Yazeed criticised the continued neglect of professional cleaners in national health preparedness.
“We cannot claim to prioritise public health while overlooking the professionals responsible for maintaining hygienic environments in our hospitals, schools, airports, offices and homes.
“Cleanliness must become a culture, not an emergency response. Prevention begins with the standards we maintain every day.”
He recalled that PECNA recently partnered with the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) to train over 200 cleaning professionals on proper cleaning and disinfection across homes and facilities for the prevention of infectious diseases of public health importance.
Through PECNA’s professional trainings, industry forums and community sanitation initiatives, Yazeed has continued to mobilise cleaners, regulators and industry stakeholders towards building a stronger and more responsible cleaning sector.
REGULATORS MUST WAKE UP
Yazeed called on EHCON, the NCDC, the Federal Ministries of Health and Environment, and relevant state authorities to move beyond policy announcements and establish measurable programmes for professional training, cleaning standards, occupational safety and infection prevention.
“Where are the enforceable standards for cleaning contractors? Where are the structured training programmes for cleaners in high-risk facilities? Who ensures that the people protecting our environments are themselves protected?”
He urged cleaning companies to strengthen their standard operating procedures, retrain staff, educate clients and adopt appropriate risk-based cleaning and disinfection practices, while leaving suspected Ebola contamination to authorised, specially trained response personnel.
GOVERNMENT MUST ACT
PECNA demands greater transparency on Ebola preparedness, accountability for preventive measures and emergency funding, stronger enforcement of environmental health standards, and formal inclusion of professional cleaning associations in national infection prevention programmes.
“We have mobilised cleaners, organised trainings and engaged regulators because we understand that cleaning is fundamental to public health. Government must now match these efforts with decisive action.
“Nigeria cannot continue to celebrate emergency responses while neglecting everyday prevention. A nation that fails to take cleaning seriously is compromising an essential part of its public health protection.”
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