The Federal government has disclosed that a total of 135 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and over 30,000 communities have achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) across the country.
This disclosure was made on Friday by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev at a Press briefing in. Abuja.
The Minister said the achievement showed that the commitment and efforts made by government and other stakeholders towards ending open defecation across Nigeria, was yielding huge results.
Utsev stated that the government would not leave any stone unturned, because of the severe public health and environmental impacts of open defecation.
According to him, open defecation contaminates water sources, spreads diseases, and disproportionately affects women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
He however, acknowledged the challenges in meeting the 2025 target and emphasized the need to re-strategize critical aspects of the campaign, including advocacy, awareness, and stakeholder engagement.
He said, that the Federal Government has outlined several
initiatives, including the Declaration of a State of Emergency in the WASH sector, the National Action Plan to revitalize the sector, the Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH) Programme, the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme, and Presidential Executive Order 009 on achieving an Open Defecation Free Nigeria by 2025.
Also Speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Richard Pheelangwah, said the country has made tremendous progress in the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign and ongoing efforts to achieve an Open Defecation Free Nigeria by 2025.
He commended development partners, civil society organizations, and members of the press for their commitment towards the fight against open defecation.
