FG set to launch national programme on open defeacation

As part of efforts to end the practice of open defecations in Nigeria by 2025, the federal government is set to launch the National programme to End Open Defecations tagged the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign.

The minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, revealed this on Tuesday at the Global Hand Washing Day 2019 in Abuja saying the programme is geared at mobilising high level political support, resources and the entire populace towards building a new culture of safe sanitation.

Adamu said the initiatives by the ministry of Water Resources is geared toward encouraging states, local governments to invest in the provision of WASH facilities and to ensure that Nigeria achieves her SDG targets for water and sanitation by 2030.

“The ministry is strongly committed to providing the needed enabling environment which will involve the participations of all stakeholders in the sector from national to the subnational and community levels. The cross cutting nature of WASH issues with linkages to health, education, nutrition, gender and environment necessitated the initiation of an inter-ministerial dialogue among ministers of these line ministries to foster collaboration and harmonisation of plans and strategies at the policy level as it relates to sanitation and hygiene.

” The National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), a coordinating body of organisation working in the water and sanitation sector planned different activities to commemorate this year’s Global Hand Washing Day, of which today’s activity is the main event,” he said.

In her good willing message, the Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, Dr. ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, said despite its proven effectiveness, over 110 million people in Nigeria lack access to handwashing facilities which implies many Nigerians are unable to perform this hygiene behaviours at critical times.

“UNICEF estimates that Nigeria loses 60,000 children aged under five every year to diarrhoeal diseases. Additionally, only 6% of all healthcare facilities in Nigeria have basic water and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of disease spread, maternal mortality, neo-natal infections and harming the chances if a child’s healthy start in life. This should not be normal and cannot be allowed yo continue,” she said.

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