…calls on States, LGAs to meet 2025 ODF target

By Gabriel Ewepu

AS Nigerians grapple with sanitation challenges to live healthy, the Federal Government, weekend, disclosed of conquering the monster of open defecation as two more Local Government Areas were added to the list of Open Defecation Free Local Government Areas in Nigeria.

The two Local Government Areas are Soba and Kauru, all in Kaduna State after certified and declared Open Defecation Free, ODF, under the Clean Nigeria Campaign, which brought the number of LGAs declared Open Defecation Free to 104.

This was made known by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Didi Walson-Jack, during a monthly meeting of the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), a Multi Sectoral Platform involving Line Ministries, Agencies, NGO Network and the Media as contained in a statement signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, FMWR, Funmi Imuetinyan.

According to the statement,  Walson-Jack made it known that 27 LGAs in Jigawa State have achieved ODF status, which makes Jigawa State the first Open Defecation Free, ODF, State in Nigeria.

Other States and the number of their ODF LGAs are Anambra (3); Akwa Ibom (1); Bauchi (7) ; Benue (9); Borno (2); Cross River (6);  Kano(11); Kaduna (7); Katsina (25); Osun (1); Yobe (1); Zamfara (3); and Imo (1) LGAs respectively.

The Permanent Secretary maintained that her Ministry and other drivers of the Clean Nigeria Campaign will not rest but is work assiduously to increase the number of ODF LGAs across the country.

However, she (Walson-Jack) called  State and Local Governments to place the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign as a foremost priority  to ensure that Nigeria meets the target of an Open Defecation Free nation, by the year 2025.

It would be recalled that following the declaration of a State of Emergency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, Nigeria flagged-off the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign in November 2019.

The Campaign was backed by Executive Order 9, towards making Nigeria Open Defecation Free by 2025.