The Federal Government has urged states and local government areas to embrace the Campaign on Open Defecation.
Minister of Water Resources and Rural Development, Mr. Suleiman Adamu made the call in his keynote address at the official inauguration of a project tagged Catch them Young – on Open Defecation (ODF)’ and a public presentation of books on ODF.
The programme was organised by the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign Committee for Schools in FCT, in collaboration with the Zubbond Publication Limited, Abuja.
Represented by Mr. Emmanuel Awe, Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Adamu called on states and local governments to embrace the initiative as one of the ways the campaign could be owned by the citizens.
He said the Clean Nigeria Campaign, remained a transformational movement aimed at mobilising citizens to meet the end ODF target in Nigeria by 2025.
The campaign, which was launched two years ago is gradually gaining high-level support by politicians and the populace toward building a new culture of safe sanitation.
Tye minister noted that ‘only 14 per cent of schools have basic water supply and sanitation services, leaving over 80 per cent without access. This is a very huge gap”.
He disclosed that the ministry was making efforts toward improving the indices on water sanitation and hygiene through stakeholders’ engagement and committing available resources to address the gap in the sector.
