By Fatima Saka
The Federal Ministry of Environment has embarked on community sensitization and cleaning exercise in commemoration of 2022 National Environmental Sanitation Day.
The exercise which was held on Saturday in Abuja at Chief Palace Karamojigi Airport Road.
Minister of Environment, Mohammed H. Abdullahi, who was represented by Charles Ikeah, Director of Pollution Control and Environment Health said sanitation is everyone’s business, adding that individuals should come together to ensure adequate sanitation delivery services in the country, inline with the SDG goals of sanitation.
While speaking, the minister said that the major objective of the National Environmental sanitation is to arouse citizens’ consciousness on the issues surrounding sanitation, adding that on the needs for individuals to keep his or her surroundings clean.
“A significant percentage of preventable communicable diseases are traced to poor sanitation. So if we are able to improve the sanitation delivery system in the country, of course, we are on the road to cutting down on our disease and borders.
‘So once again, on behalf of the Inter Ministerial Committee, and other stakeholders that are here I say thank you for being partners in progress and finding time to receive us,” he stated.
In his remarks, Dr. Walter Kasady Malambo, Head of Mission and representative of WHO in Nigeria, who was represented by Dr. Headwinds, the lead experts on Public Health and Environment, said that sanitation is crucial to public health as well as individuals development.
He however explained that knowing whether a community or people is developing, is the level of cleanliness in that community.
Adding that, “It enhances the dignity of a man and at the same time it also prevents so many diseases, even malaria which is very common in Nigeria when we clean our environments and ensure that waste water is properly channeled, there is no room for mosquitoes to breed and then cause malaria and so many other diseases,” he added.
In addition, WHO donated five rakes, and sanitary dustbins to the host community.
Also, in his remark, HRH. Alh. Yunusa Bako Abdullahi, District Head Karon Majigi, said that an healthy environment is needed and important to individuals health, adding that in what keeping environment unclean illness and which can lead someone to contaminate diseases.