In line with the Executive Order 009 instituted by President Muhammadu Buhari for ending open defecation by target date of 2025, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu , today, had a joint media briefing with National Orientation Agency (NOA) to reveal collaborative strategy for achieving the goal.
This, the minister said, is to enable the deployment of NOA platform to increase the reach in the advocacy programme of the ministry for behavioral and transformational change in the open defecation practice said to be prevalent among 47million Nigerians, and thus ensure quick realization of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in Nigeria. The behavioral change, he noted, will guarantee that all Nigerians built and used their toilets through the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) model, adding that a collaboration with the private sector is also in top gear, stressing that the recent conversations with some stakeholders centred on providing free water for toilet business owners toward improving sanitation and hygiene.
According to Engr. Adamu, this would, in turn, promote sustainability as funds generated would be used for maintaining such facilities and promote overall wellbeing of the society.
The minister said that the national programme to end open defecation in Nigeria tagged “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign was flagged off to address the unfortunate position that Nigeria had found itself as the country with the highest number of persons defecating in the open globally.
Quoting the 2019 Water Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) report, he said an estimated 46 million Nigerians defecated openly, saying this was a quarter of its population.
The minister said that ending open defecation was not just about access to toilets, but about generating demand for toilets and changing people’s behavior regarding toilet usage.
“The Clean Nigeria campaign is a transformational and behavioral change campaign that seeks to mobilise high level political support, resources and the entire populace towards building a culture of safe sanitation.
“This will require the contribution and commitment of everyone, government at all levels, civil society, private sector, development partners and the entire populace,” he lectured.
He said the ministry would be leveraging on the nationwide structure of the NOA through the Communication, Orientation and Mobilisation Officers (COMOs), who would aid in dissemination of key messages of the Clean Nigeria campaign, expressing optimism that the partnership would help to adopt safe sanitation practices and overall hygiene promotion for a healthy nation.
Also speaking, the Director-General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari, said the agency was ready to deploy its robust structure and officials to promote reorientation and mobilise Nigerians for social change.
According to him, open defecation and poor sanitation have grave implication for universal public health, with attendant cases of water-borne diseases and under-five mortality, especially in rural areas.
“The campaign will be implemented in four phases: national, zonal, state and local government activities. We are targeting property owners, women and youth groups, policy makers, family heads, among others,” he said, stressing: “We will walk with you in line with the charge by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that all public places, including schools, hotels, fuel stations, places of worship, market places, offices and hospitals have access to toilets.”
The NOA boss, therefore, called on the media to join in the campaign, noting that they were critical stakeholders in achieving a cleaner and healthier environment.
It would be recalled that as part of efforts to address the challenges in the WASH sector in Nigeria, the National WASH Action Plan was launched, even as a State of Emergency was declared by Mr. President on November. 8, 2018, with strong commitment to end Open Defecation by 2025.
- Pix: Engr. Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources (l) exchanging souvenirs with Dr Garba Abari, DG, NOA, at the event