Environmental Health Icons in Nigeria




We shall be commencing a new series on this blog and it will be about our heroes in the Environmental Health Profession. Once a week, we will look at their lives so we the young Sanitarians can learn from.

Please do enjoy!

Environmental Health Icons in Nigeria.

Augustine Ebisike: Pioneer Registrar of EHORECON

Sanitarian Augustine Onyekachi Ebisike is a thorough bred professional per excellence with a sound and analytical mind with several years of experience in the field of public health, sanitation and environment. As an Environmental Health Officer, his career in the civil service of the Federation was crowned as the Registrar/CEO of Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria.

Mr. Ebisike Augustine Onyekachi was born on May 22, 1962 and hails from Obodo Ahiara in Ahiazu-Mbaise LGA of Omo state of Nigeria.

He began his environmental health career by attending the Ondo state school of health technology, Akure and obtained his WAHEB Diploma for Public Health Superintendent in West Africa in 1989. There he was awarded the Best Academic Student Award for his graduating year. In 1996, he was awarded a B. Sc degree in University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Masters degree in Environmental Management from Indo State University, Akungba, Akoko, Ondo state in 2003.

His foray into the hall of fame started when he was deployed by the then Hon. Minister of Environment Col. Bala Mande (Rtd) on the recommendation of the then Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Prof. Oladapo A. Afolabi in 2004 to start the newly created Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria as its "interim officer".

This assignment was the most challenging job of his career. This assignment was earlier declined by three other officers who were his seniors in hierarchy at the time in the Division of Environmental health.

During a Press Conference in Lagos flanked by Baba Mohammed and Abonyi Dominic 

At the time of his deployment from the department, Mr. Ebisike was a Chief Environmental health Officer in the Division. To the glory of God, he took the Council from this very humble beginning with himself and Mrs. Juliana Abayomi, aka Iya Ibadan, as the only staff in the Council to what it has become today.

In 2006, the Council appointed him on acting capacity as the Registrar of the Council pending the establishment of the position in the establishment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This was done in 2007 and in January, 2008 the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appointed Mr. Ebisike Augustine Onyekachi as the pioneering Registrar/CEO of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, the regulatory body for environmental health in the Country. It should be noted that the Council may be the only government institution established without a takeoff grant. The Council started business in a one-room office space. Sanitarian Ebisike brought his personal computer and printer as our takeoff grant.

Before his deployment to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Augustine Ebisike started his working career as an Environmental Health Officer in the Federal Ministry of Health where duties include routine public health monitoring of drinking water quality in the Lagos state area, involved in the constructions of water and sanitation facilities under the Primary Health Care programme.

EHORECON Secretariat at 15, Wushishi crescent, Utako, Abuja. 

Here are some of his major achievements in the Council:
1. Coordinated the development of BSc programme in Environmental health for the use of the profession which resulted in the acceptance of BMAS by the by the National Universities Commission and resulted in the commencement of that programme in Nigerian University.

2. Coordinated the development of the National Environmental Health Practice 2007 and it's amendment which was concluded in 2013 but not signed into law till 2016.

3. Registration of Environmental Health service provider in the vital areas of waste collection, transportation and disposal, cleaning services, public health pest control, Air quality monitoring, sewage collection and premises inspection.

4. Coordinated the manpower and National expansion of the Council from two number of staff to over 146 staff representing 34 states of the federation.

San. Abonyi Dominic, Ebisike's successor


At the end of his tenure in the Council, Mr. Ebisike has set up his tent in the specialised area of Environmental health consulting as a Consulting Environmental Health Officer. He has interest in waste collection and recycling, sewage disposal, cleaning services and public health pest control.

He is married to Mrs. Ifeoma Ebisike and Mrs. Kucheli Ebisike and has a son, Chizaram Ebisike.

EHOS at a Thematic MCPD, a brainchild of Ebisike. 




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