FCT minister pledges commitment to end open defection

In line with President Buhari’s declaration of state of emergency on water, sanitation and hygiene in the country, the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Bello has reiterated the administration’s commitment to address the challenge of open defecation and general sanitation challenges in the nation’s capital.
Speaking at an event organized to commemorate the 2019 world toilet day held in Abuja, Bello said the stance of the FCT Administration to end open defecation is in line with the President’s declaration of state of emergency on water, sanitation and hygiene in the country.

The minister who was represented by the Chairman of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Dr. Baruwa Yahaya, said the theme for this year’s celebration is: “Toilet for all, focusing on leaving no one behind” was chosen as the world strives to achieve universal access to sanitation.
According to him, the purpose of this year’s theme is to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by the year 2030.
He stated further that the aim is to draw world’s attention to the people who are left behind without sanitation and the overall, economic and environmental consequences of inaction.
“The attention of everyone is drawn to the fact that about 2.5 billion of people in the world have no access to toilets. In Nigeria, about 47 million people are involved in open defecation, poor sanitation and hygiene practices.
“In the Federal Capital Territory, 50 per cent of the residents defecate openly due to challenges of non-provision of toilet in different homes in communities as well as public places within FCT.
“Also, people leave their homes early from sub-urban towns into the city and use the drainage and bushes for open defecation and urination. Some people living in the communities have the culture of using the bushes around them for open defecation. This attitude has to change.
“There is a ministerial committee saddled with the responsibility to bring up modalities for the provision of additional toilet facilities in the Federal Capital Territory,” Bello disclosed.
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Also, the Permanent Secretary Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa said the administration is already partnering with the private sector for the use of solar powered public toilets and is working hard to ensure that all schools and other public institutions are fitted with functional toilets.
Represented by the Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Samuel Atang, the permanent secretary emphasized that toilets are very essential because access to safe functional toilet has a positive impact on public health, human dignity and personal safety.
He added that sanitation systems that do not safely treat human waste allow for the spread of serious public health hazards like soil-transmitted and waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid and dysentery.