THE Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe, has urged Nigerians to pay more attention to personal hygiene which include hand washing with soap and running water to prevent the spread of the ebola virus and other water related diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid fever.

Ochekpe spoke when she flagged-off the National Emergency Hand Washing Campaign to prevent the spread of ebola in Nigeria. The campaign was organised in stages at different locations, at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources premises, Jabi Motor Park and Wuse main market all in Abuja.
She said promotion of hand washing with soap and running water was part of the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources at this critical period, adding that it is important to embark on sensitization campaign on hand washing.

FROM LEFT: MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES, MRS SARAH OCHEPE; CHAIRMAN, MINI BUS UTAKO PARK, ABUJA, MR OLUGBADE OLAGUNJU AND FCT DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL UNION OF ROAD TRANSPORT WORKERS, ALHAJI GABI IBRAHAM, WASHING THEIR HANDS TO COMMENCE THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY HANDS WASHING CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF EBOLA VIRUS IN NIGERIA AT UTAKO MOTOR PARK IN ABUJA ON MONDAY

“We are here as part of our mandate to undertake public enlightenment on hand washing to promote personal hygiene and sanitation. The campaign would go beyond Abuja. We are taking it to the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, we will work with Commissioners of Water Resources in all the 36 states of the Federation through their water supply and sanitation programme in their various states. This is to emphasise the fact that for us to curtail the spread of disease, every Nigerian must partake in the campaign process by way of conducting ourselves right in   the way and manner that will promote not just personal hygiene but hygiene of the whole country, she noted.

Ochekpe added “as we are aware that most of the diseases in the country today are water related, we invite stakeholders to partner with government in promoting sanitation and hygiene, if we do what we are supposed to do others would copy from us, that is why we are starting the campaign here in the ministry with the   hope that each one of us would   take this assignment very seriously, we should make sure that any time we use either the toilets or shake hands we should be conscious to wash our hands.

“If every Nigerian will imbibe this culture, I believe that the amount of money spent as individuals and also as families in the healthcare centre would reduce drastically. It means that there would be more money in our hands to do other things that would promote the well being of the family” she said.
The minister practically demonstrated the process of hand washing with soap and water and officials of the Jabi Motor Park as well as Wuse market leaders demonstrated the process of hand washing with soap and water. At the Jabi Motor Park, she pledged to provide them with borehole to reduce their suffering in accessing potable water.

The Chairman Mini bus Long journey at Jabi Motor Park, Mr. Olugbade Olagunju and the Managing Director, Wuse Market, Alhaji Abubakar Usman Faruk commended the minister for taking the campaign to their domains. They promised to extend the hand washing campaign to their families, neighborhoods and all their loved ones.