The Kwara state government has charged Local Government Chairmen and Council officers to take concrete step in their domain towards ending Open Defecation in the State.
The State Commissioner for Waters Resources, Usman Lade Yinusa stated this at a Day Water Sanitation and Hygienist (wash) Stakeholders Engagement Meeting with Chairmen and their Directors of Personnel and Management, with emphasis on the “Eradication of Open Defecation in Kwara State”, organized by the State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), in ilorin.
Usman Lade represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Christiana Omolola Ashonibare noted that the state government had embarked on various programmes and sensitization across all the local government areas to achieve a healthier Kwara, noting that the government remains committed to the well being of its citizen and would not leave any stone unturned in addressing their health challenges.
The General Manager, Kwara State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, (RUWASSA), Mr. Olorunfemi Oladipo, who commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for given priority to the health of the citizen, noted that the meeting was imperative to deliberate on critical issues affecting public health, dignity and sustainable development.
Mr Oladipo stated that the Agency has made significant strides towards ending open defecation through collaborative effort with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and other development partners which includes Community-led Total Sanitation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Provision of Smart Toilets, wash facilities in critical communities and funding support.
Mr. Oladipo said all these efforts contributed to the state ranking, noting that six communities in Oke Ero local government have been certified open defecation- free through RUWASSA interventions submitting that the Agency is not relenting in its efforts to meet the 2030 sustainable development goals through expansion of sanitation infrastructure, behavioral change and hygiene promotion, policy and regulations enforcement and sustainability through partnership.
A Resources Person, Professor Henry Olawale commended the achievements recorded by the State in the UNICEF ranking, attributing this to efforts injected by the Governor and concerned agencies.
The State Commissioner for Health, Doctor Aminah Ahmed El- Iman represented by the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Pharmacist Barakat Olanrewaju while noting that open defecation remains a menace with serious health and environmental and social economic consequences, called for Wash Department at the Local Government levels and called on the Local Government Chairmen to take charge of their domain.
According to UNICEF, over one hundred and twenty million people in West and Central Africa practice open defecation with Nigeria ranking second globally with forty-seven million
