Sustainable Environmental Sanitation Is Paramount To Ending Open Defecation: Dr Adamu
The Minister of Water Resources, Dr. Sulaiman Adamu says, provision of sustainable sanitation and hygiene facilities through community based approach is the best way to stop open defecation and prevent the spread of viral diseases.
He stated this in Osogbo, the Osun State capital during the flag off ceremony of the National Youth Volunteer programme for clean Nigeria.
The Clean Nigeria project was initiated and inaugurated by president Mohamadu Buhari in year 2019 as a national transformative programme to mobilize citizens towards imbibing the culture of safe and sustainable environment.
Part of it is to ensure that Nigeria attains the open defecation free status by year 2025.
Represented by a Director in the Ministry, Mr Emmanuel Awe, the Minister explained that that the programme was to consolidate the success recorded against open defecation and harmful environmental practices in the country.
Dr Adamu said one hundred youths would embark on awareness creation and sensitization on hygienic practices across the state, while urging states and local governments to own the programme.
Governor of Osun State, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Benedict Alabi appealed to residents of the state to join government in elimination the culture and practice of open defecation considering its huge public health implications.
Mr Oyetola also called on residents to voluntarily adhere to the non- pharmaceutical COVID-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the deadly variant of the virus.
The Governor said the administration had invested huge resources in the primary health care sector through rehabilitation of 332 health centers spread across the 322 electoral wards in the states, while 6 General hospital are receiving attention in order to bring health care close to the people.
While of the Governor, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola who has been a focal person in the campaign against open defecation in the state expressed concern over the attitude of some residents to environmental and personal hygiene,saying such attitude is alien to Africans who,despite the absence of technology and sanitation mechanism kept their environment clean.
Mrs Oyetola appealed to the people to embrace cleanliness and environmental friendly practices so to prevent deadly but avoidable diseases that also lead to epidemics.
Also speaking, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government, Oba AbdulRasheed Olabomi commended the Federal and State government for their resolve to end open defecation in Nigeria.
At the ceremony, Ifedayo Local Government of Osun State was declared as the only council in the South West region that has achieved open defecation free status, a development attributed to the efforts of the Osun Governor’s wife and the environmental health officials.
Adenitan Akinola
