FG, states pledge $5m for sanitation, hygiene promotion

By John Oba

Abuja

The federal government and some implementing states have committed to a matching fund of $5 million as counterpart contribution to the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN).
Nigeria secured the grant for the project through the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), a coalition body of the relevant government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners and civil society organisations working in the sanitation sub-sector.
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this yesterday during a meeting with State governors on the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) in Abuja.
“As we are all aware, access to improved sanitation in Nigeria has declined over time. As a result, there are over 70 million people without access to improve sanitation and more than 45 million people practicing open defecation in Nigeria.
“Recognizing the public health risk, the federal government is calling on states and development partners to invest in the water, sanitation and hygiene sub-sector as federal government cannot fund it all alone,” he said.
Adamu further stated that the RUSHPIN project which is going on in 6 local government areas of Benue and Cross River States is a good example of government’s efforts in mobilizing resources to the sector in view of the limited resources available.

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