ENVIRONMENTAL-HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
7th National Conference on Environment & Health
Dear distinguished colleague,
The days of “hazard-centred” management of the environment are long expired! It is now accepted that environmental hazards are inevitable price for development; and a narrow-minded fixation on the outright elimination of a select “notorious” few could be futile and even unhelpful. Pragmatic sound management of the environment now tends to be “risk-centred” and it entails identifying and curtailing exposures to hazards (factoring in various options to mitigate the impacts), with “Sustainable Development” as the ultimate end-point in view.
Sustainable development is that which meets today’s needs without jeopardizing the chances of future generations to also meet theirs. It involves a holistic balancing of the three inter-woven dimensions of Economy, Socials, and Environment-Health. The bottom-line being that benefits associated with any “development” must demonstrably outweigh the price being paid for it by the general population.
However for whatever reason(s), this more realistic approach to environmental management is yet to gain traction in our part of the world. The result is that environmental policies and practices cherry-picked from other climes are uncritically imposed on the polity here, in what has been referred to as “cut and paste” fashion. Whereas the various parameters and values utilized in the underlying risk assessments for those policies could be at considerable variance with our own local realities! Such policies and practices, fueled by hypes in the popular media, are the root causes of much of the confusion currently bedeviling public health in Nigeria. A ready example is the situation where we hesitate, on the one hand, to exploit our vast coal resources direly needed to address our energy challenges, based on considerations of mercury release; but on the other hand we are content to remain the world’s dumping ground for thimerosal-containing vaccines, requiring us to pump vast quantities of the same mercury directly into the veins of our children and other vulnerable populations.
It is time this situation was scrutinized, addressed, and redressed! At the 7th National Conference on Environment and Health, efforts will be made to push the concept of Environmental Health Risk Assessment (EHRA) to the front burner in our quest to profitably and sustainably exploit our environment for all-round development and the common good. A rich array of eminent speakers, from both the academia and industry/government, have confirmed their availability to lead various aspects of the discussion at the Conference. We cordially invite you to be part of what promises to be a stimulating and highly-impactful national discourse.
The Nigerian disdain for data unfortunately extends to the public health sector. At great intolerable costs! Even where systems for amassing vital health information exist, often they operate only half-heartedly. Parameters are hardly harmonized across several stakeholder institutions; quality assurance mechanism on the data stored are often absent; and it is only in few situations that the records are electronically available for remote access and interrogation. On the other hand, the end users who should be interested in these data as input in their own decision-making processes seem unperturbed. Often, statistics spurted out by private foreign organizations are uncritically cited and utilized for taking high-level decisions with far-reaching consequences on public health in the country. Worst of all, even well-documented and generally available reliable statistics on environmental and social determinants of public health are just plain ignored by responsible authorities in the face of other interests such as politics and economics.
Dr Mohammad Mahmood AbubakarSpecial Guest Speaker
Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja
Dr Mohammad Mahmood AbubakarSpecial Guest Speaker
Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja
7th National Conference on Environment and Health Sub-themes for Presentations
The 7th NCEH intends to highlight this situation and its gravity with the hope of provoking the relevant stakeholders onto an appropriate action plan for redress. Discussion will be along the following main sub-themes:
Environmental Health Risk Assessment of artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations in Nigeria
Risk Assessment of COVID and Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines in Nigeria
Environmental Accounting and Climate Change
Risk Assessment in Social Health Insurance in Nigeria
Environmental Health Education and Training in Nigeria
Realistic Environmental Regulations and Standards, and Effective Enforcements
Mainstreaming the Use of Environmental-Health Indicators in Nigeria
The 7th National Conference on Environment and Health will feature Oral and Poster Presentations, as well as Exhibition of products and services.
Abstracts are invited on these key sub-themes (Submission Deadline: Wednesday September 1, 2022.)
Abstracts are to be uploaded on-line at the Conference Website http://conferences.lsfnigeria.org) in the prescribed format. Abstracts should not be longer than 350 words and should comprise of a Title, Authors and their Affiliations, and E-mail for the Corresponding Author. The Abstract should clearly indicate the methodology, main results, and conclusions of the study or review to be presented. Up to 5 keywords describing the work should also be included. Authors should indicate their preference for either Poster or Oral presentation, The Organizing Committee might however, if need be, advice contrary to authors’ indicated preference.
The top three Abstracts sent in and presented by Trainees or Postgraduate/Undergraduate Students will receive special recognition and Awards.
For authors who so desire, papers presented at the Conference may be submitted for peer-review and possible publication in the Nigerian Journal for Environment and Health [ISSN: 2616-0714 (print edition); eISSN: 2616-0706 (online, open access)]
There will be facilities to participate in the Conference, virtually via Zoom (including Poster and Oral presentations). Links will be sent to all registered participants a few days to the Conference.
Registration Fees
(Fees cover Registration, Conference materials, Lunch, Refreshments, and Certificate of participation.)
Students (with valid ID card): N5,000 (On or before September 1); N6000 (after September 1)
Local Delegates: N8,000 (On or before September 1); N10,000 (after September 1)
Foreign Delegates*: $100
All payments should be paid directly to the following bank account:
Account Name: LivingScience Foundation, Ile-Ife
Account Number: 2031515078
Bank: First Bank Ltd, OAU, Ile-Ife
Please indicate the Transaction Id no (for bank transfers) or Teller No at the on-line Registration Portal so that your Receipt may be prepared ahead and made ready for collection at the Registration Desk at the Conference.
Financial Assistance
Limited sponsorship opportunities exist for students (and others in trainee positions) with valid ID cards who are presenting a paper or poster. Strictly on 1st come 1st served basis.
*Foreign delegates who require letters of invitation for processing of visa should contact the Conference Secretariat for expedite action.
For Assistance with Accommodation, contact:
Dr Ropo Dairo on 0813 956 7700 or Dr (Mrs) Oyenike Oguntunde on +234 705 893 8585
Keynote Speakers
1. Prof Omowunmi Sadik, (NNOM)Distinguished Professor and Chair Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institutes of Technology (NJIT); Director, NJIT BioSensors Materials for Advanced Research & Technology (The BioSMART Center); and Co-founder, The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization [www.susnano.org ] (https://chemistry.njit.edu/faculty/sadik)
1. Prof Omowunmi Sadik, (NNOM)Distinguished Professor and Chair Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institutes of Technology (NJIT); Director, NJIT BioSensors Materials for Advanced Research & Technology (The BioSMART Center); and Co-founder, The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization [www.susnano.org ] (https://chemistry.njit.edu/faculty/sadik)
First Announcement to the Public/Call for Abstracts: Wednesday June 1, 2022
Abstracts submissions close: Thursday September 15, 2022
Acceptance notifications for abstracts sent to authors via e-mail: Within 4 working days of Receipt of Abstracts.
Notification of Mode of Presentation determined by the Scientific Committee (Oral/Poster): Monday September 19, 2022
Conference and Exhibition: Wednesday October 19 – Thursday October 20, 2022
Exhibition and Advertising Opportunities
If you wish to exhibit services or products related to Environment-Health at the 7th National Conference on Environment and Health, kindly contact Dr Beatrice Emma-Okon on 08035065019 or Dr Ropo Dairo on 08139567700. A token administrative fees will be charged.
You may also advertise relevant services and products on the Conference Book of Abstracts for a TOKEN. The Conference does not endorse products, and may refuse to advertise certain products and services not in tandem with the Conference objectives. For such adverts, please contact Prof Joshua Ojo at +234 805 710 6482.