Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources, has tasked all states of the federation to domesticate the Executive Order 009 recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.
Adamu, who stated this in Abuja on Saturday during a virtual meeting with the 36 states and FCT Coordinators of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ Campaign, urged them to work fast to meet the National Action Plan on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6, end open defecation before the target year of 2025, and to participate in the COVID- 19 Emergency Response.
The ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ Campaign is a National Programme aimed at ending open defecation in Nigeria by 2025, and was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 8, 2019.
Coordinators from the different states made their contributions on the milestone achievements and challenges in the course of their work.
The Cross River State Coordinator, Eyo Offiong, said his state had been updating WASH Information Infrastructural Baseline, noting that adequate measures were being taken against COVID-19.
He added that six local government areas (LGAs) in his state had Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
Bauchi State Coordinator, Sabo Adamu, told the meeting that jingles had been aired throughout the state to sensitise the populace against the dangers and prevention of COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained that various water schemes had been rehabilitated.
Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, Idongesit Ido, explained that his state has provided sanitation facilities in the public places against COVID-19 pandemic.
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The state government had also selected desk officers from all the LGAs as representatives of the Clean Nigeria Campaign, he emphasised.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation in the ministry, Emmanuel Awe, said the meeting afforded the minister the opportunity to get firsthand information from the state delegates on their activities at making their respective states achieve open defecation free status.
The state delegates would on the other hand get valuable suggestions and inputs from the minister’s coordinators to help their respective states achieve open defecation free status on or before the set date of 2025.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said that no fewer than 10 states would benefit from its partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programme to scale up access to water and sanitation in rural communities.
Adamu said the benefiting states included Imo, Katsina, Jigawa, Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto, Ondo and Osun.
He said that he had carried out advocacy visits to state governors, ministries, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, media houses, organised private sector and Nigerians in Diaspora to seek supports toward the Federal Government’s efforts in ending open defecation by 2025.
The minister added that although the country was making progress in access to water and sanitation as reflected in the 2019 WASH National Outcome Routine Mappings, more efforts was needed from stakeholders to scale up.
Benson Ajisegiri, Director, Water Supply with the ministry said the PEWASH, which was intended to accelerate access to water and sanitation in rural areas was gaining speed.
