By Tosin Kolade

The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu has said states’ attitude and poor governance culture in the water and sanitation sector may affect the attainment of an Open Defecation Free country by 2025.

Adamu said this at the Opening of the National Retreat for States on the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet’ Campaign in Abuja on Monday.

He said there was the need for states to show more commitments by complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in meeting the national ODF targets by 2025.

“Some states are still upcoming. Katsina state is hopefully going to be the next one, But there are states where there’s virtually no progress at all, that’s why every time, we need to review the situation from time to time, and find a way to encourage the states.

“We have given every support and we will continue to provide that support, but we need that political level, the highest level in the states, for the country to have a lot of traction.

“But I keep saying that once we have the political will as a people, take this campaign as ours, we own it, it’s going to go on autopilot.

“So what we are waiting for is for the nation, not only the state government, but the people themselves, to own this campaign, to understand that sanitation is a personal obligation”.

The minister noted the need to revisit all strategies and goals on ending open defecation and address the funding gaps, saying this would change the poor narrative.

According to him, ending open defecation is not just about access to tollets, but about generating demand for toilets and effecting behavioural change in favour of the use of toilets.

“It is imperative that we strengthen our supply chain towards sanitation building and the creation of a sanitation market that will propel a new economy that will ensure better livelihood.

“Poverty reduction and job creation are all the benefits of the new economy, achieving this however, will require the involvement of all Stakeholders”.

Also speaking, Mr Oumar Doumbouya, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist said it was impressive that Nigeria is able to attain over 100 ODF local governments.

This, he noted, is a huge achievement even for the West African region as Nigeria holds a critical part of the region.

He said closing the gaps and leveraging on current efforts was crucial if the nation would attain its target.

According to him, there is the need for inclusion of everyone in interventions, adding that using innovation approaches was the key to achieving open defecation free target.

Ms. Evelyn Mere, Country Director, said Nigeria had the potential to excel in sanitation economy, through job creation, revenue generation and a healthier economy, with efficient provision of safely managed WASH services.

Mere hinted that the organised private sector in WASH would be announcing a few partnerships in the coming month, aimed at declaring 100 LGAs open defecation free.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting had representatives from all state water agencies, and other partners.

The meeting was an avenue for cross-learning, discuss challenges and analyse opportunities in the water and sanitation sector. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Tosin Kolade

The Network of Female Professionals in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (FEMinWASH), has called for the inclusion of women in operation and maintenance of water facilities.

FEMinWASH Chairperson, Dr Boluwaji Onabolu, made this call at a news conference in collaboration with the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) in Abuja on Friday.

According to her, inclusion of women in operation and maintenance of water facilities will go a long way to promote sustainability and overall improvement of lives for the populace.

Onabolu said findings from the WASHMATA Initiatives/Bank of Industry and FCT RUWASSA Study on sustainability of water supplies, showed that the lack of gender participation was affecting WASH service delivery in Nigeria.

“A state of emergency was declared in WASH sector in 2018 and laudable programmes are being implemented by both the federal and state ministries of Water Resources and development agencies.

“However, in spite of the achievements of these programmes, it is important to note that according to the WASHNORM survey 2021, the percentage of Nigerians with access to basic drinking water decreased from 70 per cent in 2019 to 67 per cent in 2021.

“The WASHNORM survey 2021, notes that 61 per cent of water supplies assessed were stressed and non-functional,” she said.

Onabolu said the rapid population growth was one of the reasons for the reduction in percentage access as over 30 million people gained access between 2019 and 2021.

She said poor sustainability of water supplies was another reason for the inability of the sector to make the expected remarkable progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal 6.1.

The chairperson noted that implementing the National Village Level Operation and Maintenance (VLOM) strategy was crucial for rehabilitating and repairing broken down water infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

Dr Mohammed Dan-Hassan, Executive Director, FCT RUWASSA, said the agency has mapped out strategies towards solving all WASH challenges in the FCT.

Ms. Kucheli Augustine, representative of the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, said partnership with female environmental health officers was crucial, for advocacy and impact.

She noted that lack of sustainable practices in water and sanitation service delivery was causing the nation huge revenue losses.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, through UNICEF developed a comprehensive National Strategy for Village Level Operation and Maintenance of water infrastructure.

However, only 13 of the 36 states have expressed interest in utilising the VLOM Strategy. (NAN)

FEMinWASH is a platform for Nigerian women in WASH to connect with each other, providing a system where collaborative efforts are geared in addressing Nigeria’s public health concerns. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Razak Owolabi