Minister tasks Nigerians on open defecation
Minister for Water Resources, Sulieman Adamu, has urged Nigerians to take the issue of open defecation seriously as it concerns everyone.
Adamu made this call in Abuja while delivering a lecture on the theme: “Stopping open defecation’’ organised by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Abuja.
He said that in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria with the highest population has about 47 million people defecating in the open and ranks second in the world.
“It is as a result that Mr. President on November 8, 2018 declared a state of emergency in the sector with emphasis that Nigeria must end open defecation by 2025,’’ the minister said.
He said that tackling the problem of open defecation in Nigeria is everyone’s business and not for the government alone and as such everyone must work together to tackle the problem.
According to him, 86 per cent of disease cases are attributed to poor environmental sanitation.
Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Chidi Izuwah, called on the university authority to include a programme in the institution for students to also be enlightened on open defecation.
He identified both sanitation and structural issues as barriers to the problem, adding that with good sanitation and structure, Nigeria would eradicate the problem by 2025.
Dean, Faculty of Engineering in the institution, Prof. Tochukwu Ogwueleka, said the essence of the event is to allow for synergy between the university and the industry.
Prof. Ogwueleka said that all hands must be on deck to tackle the problem and make Nigeria open defecation free, adding that “we will take the message down to other communities through public campaign so that Nigeria can be clean.
