By Fatima Saka
Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed H. Abdullahi has said practices of pollution, afforestation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, erosion control and sanitation are all environmental justice.
The minister made the assertion on Tuesday in Abuja, while quoting the prof. Amadi Agwu, who lectures on NESD, as the Federal Ministry of Environment commemorates the 2022 National Environmental sanitation Day ceremony with the Development partners and stakeholders; with the theme, “A Clean Environment is a Healthy Environment: Get Involved”
Speaking on, Abdullahi stated that if the citizens believed that Nigeria doesn’t have environmental justices which is realistic. Adding that for the professor to mention that all the sanitation practices are obsolete, is a thing to work upon.
He further explained that, in 2005 the ministry had the sanitation policy that has been reviewed by the stakeholders for over two years and that it has been endersored virtually by all the stakeholders. Adding that for the ability of the government to respond to environmental challenges, that the government has established other agencies, like the National Environmental Standards Regulatory Agency, also the National Response Agency established the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, adding that all of these respond to the challenges by the government.
Meanwhile, the minister emphasized on the theme that the citizens should consider the critical role of Sanitation and hygiene, while preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid fever, Lassa Fever, COVID-19 virus, Monkeypox virus among others.
Adding that “the theme is also a clarion call for every one of us to work together and leverage lessons learned from response to COVID-19 to address the neglect of sanitation and hygiene as a major means of preventing disease transmission.
“Poor sanitation has been identified as being responsible for a significant percentage of preventable communicable diseases particularly in developing countries including Nigeria.
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“Large number of children die every year due to sanitation and hygiene related diseases. In Nigeria, more than 3.5 million children suffer from diarrheal diseases and this is not a small figure. Children, who are less than 5years old, are more prone to such diseases”.
“Addressing sanitation and hygiene challenges in the country is a necessary and worthwhile investment for the government at all levels”.
“This is because for every One Hundred naira (N100) spent improving sanitation and hygiene, between Three Hundred naira (N300) and Four Hundred naira (N400) is saved which can be invested in health, education, social and economic development”.
“Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to call on Nigerians especially those in places of authority (public or private) to ensure adequate provision for Sanitation and Hygiene,” he stated.
In his welcome address, Hassan Musa, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, expressed that conservation of a clean environment is important for a healthy environment in welcoming the tourists into the country, and also ensuring sustainable sounds and sanitary practices among the citizens.
However, he called for general efforts to curtail the scourge of preventable communicable diseases attributed to all sound environmental sanitation hygiene practices. Adding that National Environmental Sanitation Day is one of the principal vehicles through which to create awareness and give former face to environmental issues.
“By empowering people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promote an understanding of a healthy environment, ” he added.
Also, in her goodwill messages, Jane Ben, the chief WASH Officer of UNICEF said UNICEF has supported the Nigerian government to develop WASH statistics over the last few years. Adding that it is now the national outcome routine mapping for Nigerians as a norm, which shows the alarming statistic that at least 23% of Nigeria still practices open defecation.
“So I would beg you all to really consider how with your everyday actions and in your work, we can promote hand washing, it will really be for the greater good of all,” She added.
