The Ministry of Water Resources has declared nine additional local government areas Open Defecation Free (ODF), having met the requirements slated in the 2017 ODF Protocol for hygiene promotion.
The Local Government Area (LGAs) are Malumfashi, Kusada, Mashi, Batagarawa, Baure in Katsina State and Hadejia, Ringim, Malam Madori and Kiri Kasama in Jigawa.
This brings a total of 71 out of the 774 local government areas in the country that are open defecation-free.
At the monthly meeting of the National Task Group on Sanitation, which held virtually on Wednesday, the Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Awe, commended the two states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before attaining the ODF status, communities would have eliminated open defecation and imbibed total sanitation practices, which include personal, environmental and domestic hygiene.
The communities would have also had 100 per cent toilet use and increased ownership and sustainability of hygiene and sanitation services.
While commending the efforts of the two states and other stakeholders in the sanitation sector, Awe, represented by Mr Emmanuel Eze, called for sustainable practices for total sanitation and overall development.
Mr Jide Dada, presenting the report for Jigawa, said most of the households in the communities selected from the four LGAs had toilets and showed evidence of usage.
“No faeces was found in the open in any community in the LGAs, hand washing facilities with evidence of usage were sighted in and near toilets in all households.
“Religious leaders were fully aware and they helped in sensitising their members, almost all the toilets in households and public places are improved in the communities visited’’.
Mr Audu Alhassan, presenting the report for Katsina, said all public places visited in the five LGAs had toilets, drop hole covers and hand washing stations.
He said traditional leaders were fully involved and took ownership of hygiene promotion, adding that women inclusion was evident in communities visited.
“Most of the communities validated were seen to have ownership of Community-Led Total Sanitation project, women participation in WASH committee was active with more than 40 per cent representation.
“Traditional rulers were involved and participated in the field activities, communities are implementing the established by-laws on sanitation and hygiene, fine of N2,000 were given to defaulters if found defecating openly’’.
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Mrs Chizoma Opara, National Coordinator, Clean Nigeria Campaign, while giving an update, noted that it was impressive that all states had flagged off their state-wide campaign on hygiene promotion.
She said more collaboration to end open defecation was through the recently launched Youth-Led Total Sanitation and the use of community mobilisation officers led by the National Orientation Agency.
She said that FCT was set to inaugurate a state of emergency on open defecation, expressing hope that youths trained in the 774 local government areas would do more to scale up sanitation in their localities.
Opara also noted that collaboration was ongoing with the Nigeria Institute of Architects and Civil Engineers to draw up suitable toilets designs that are specific and affordable.
Mr Job Ominyi, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist, said that modalities were on for finalising the National Hand Hygiene for All Roadmap.
According to him, issues of duplication of policies are being addressed with considerations to review and blend existing strategies like the ODF and the Clean Nigeria, Use the toilet roadmaps.
“The overall aim is to come up with one document that would reflect all the issues and we are setting up a committee which would have critical stakeholders as members.
“We may have to hold a national meeting to see how to present it to the National Assembly and the Governors’ forum to ensure that there are modalities to reflect funding needs.
“The Market assessment of hygiene products and services will also be presented in the final draft’’. (NAN)
