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By Akanji Alowoludo, Bauchi
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has stressed that availability of improved toilet in schools, public spaces, homes and health facilities are critical to discouraging open defecation.
UNICEF however lamented that, In Nigeria, about 48 million people still defecate in the open, mostly in the rural areas a development that bears severe socio-economic losses for the country.
The assertion was made by the Officer in Charge (OIC) of Bauchi Field Office of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Dr Clement Adams during the opening of a Media Dialogue on World Toilet Day, 2023 held at Azare, Bauchi State on Wednesday.
He said that the availability of improved toilet in schools, public spaces, homes, and health facilities is critical to discouraging open defecation.
According to him, “Economically incentivizing sanitation through the approach of toilet business owners, creates jobs and improves income generation while leading us to our goal to become open defecation free.”
The UNICEF OIC congratulated the people and government of Katagum LGA on the attainment of open-defecation-free status saying that”it is a testament that when we work together, we can achieve great strides.”
He stressed that, “The achievement in Katagum LGA needs to be replicated across the country. Out of 774 LGAs in the country, only 105 have been validated ODF. I welcome you all to this event to commemorate the World Toilet Day and to also celebrate this achievement with the people of Katagum while championing the call for increased action to promote healthy, clean, and safe communities by enhancing access to sanitation facilities.”
Adams explained that the World Toilet Day is celebrated every year to bring attention to the undeniable importance of safe and hygienic toilets in our daily lives, especially in terms of health, education and of course, socio-economic development.
For the 2023 WTD, the theme is: ‘Accelerating Change’ to highlight the journey towards achieving “SDG 6- Clean Water and Sanitation”.
According to him, “We are about seven years away from 2030 – the global target for the SDGs. We must therefore reinvigorate our efforts if we must meet the sanitation target of SDG 6 – safe toilets and water for all by 2030.”
He also said that, the access to safe and clean toilets prevents the spread of diseases; the access to safe toilet means children, especially girls, and women are protected from the risks of attacks and abuse if they had to go into bushes to defecate; access to basic WASH services is integral to school enrolment, attendance, retention, and completion – the benefits are numerous.
“As you will learn later during this event, the work of community-based structures such as the WASH committees or WASHCOMS, is integral to promoting and attaining an open defecation free status,” he stressed.
The UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office OIC said that, “ODF status is not an end. It is a means to an end. This means we must sustain the actions which attained for us, ODF in Katagum LGA and other LGAs in Bauchi state. Because if we do not, the achievement we celebrate today may be lost.
“Therefore, I charge all relevant stakeholders including the LGA leaders, traditional and religious leaders, WASHCOMs, mother groups, school authorities and everyone who joined us to make this ODF status possible not to rest on their oars,” Clement Adams.
He stressed that, “We must continue to encourage and enforce basic hygiene practices and policies so that we do not relapse nor lose this achievement.
According to him, “In Bauchi state, Katagum is the Eighth LGA to be validated ODF out of 20 LGAs. We still have work to do. The approaches we used across the eight LGAs must be strengthened and upscaled to ensure that we make Bauchi state ODF.”
Adams said that, “At UNICEF, our partnership with the state government remains intact to ensure that we build a healthy society for every child to thrive and survive in. We are delighted to work with the Bauchi state government to achieve this feat in Katagum; and we are committed to strengthening this partnership.”
He added that,” We are grateful to our multilateral partners including FCDO, Lixil, WaterAid, and a host of others who have supported in different ways.
Thank you everyone and congratulations to Katagum LGA, once again.
“Before I go, let me remind us of the story of the hummingbird. In the ancient story, a hummingbird does what she can to fight a great fire – carrying droplets of water in her beak. Her actions – even though small – are helping solve a big problem,” he added.
The UNICEF OIC concluded saying that, “Everyone can do something to tackle the sanitation crisis. You can be like the hummingbird. The more ‘hummingbirds’ there are, the bigger the impact. We all have a role to play.!”
In his remarks, Bauchi State Commissioner of Water Resources, Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki stated that, World Toilet Day is observed on the 19 November of every year to create awareness on the need of having and using toilets to people living without access to safely managed sanitation facilities.
The Commissioner added that It is all about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieved Sustainable Development Goal 6 which is Sanitation and Water for all by 2030.
He explained that this year’s campaign theme ‘Accelerating change as sustainable Development Goal 6 is badly off track and it is hindering progress on the 2030 agenda opining that to achieve this in the stipulated time frame, all stakeholders must double their efforts before this can be achieved.
According the Commissioner, World Toilet Day exist to inform, engage and inspire people to take action towards achieving the goal.
He stressed that, “Toilets are important because access to a safe functional toilet has a positive impact on public health, human dignity and personal safety, especially for females sanitation system that do not have safely manage excreta allow the spread of diseases like soil transmitted diseases and water related diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid fever, dysentery, neglected tropical diseases among others.”
Zaki further explained that in effort for accelerating access to safely manage sanitation facilities in Bauchi L.G.A, the Member representing Bauchi Federal Constituency, Alhaji Aminu Aliyu Garu donated 1,000 pieces of Sato toilet pans to households in Bauchi last Sunday 12th November, 2023 and promised for more of such gesture.
The Commissioner who was represented by the General Manager of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RUWASSA), Adamu Sabo, disclosed that the state government is determined to work for the actualization of SDGs 6.2 target and overall the attainment of state wide ODF by 2025.
He also pointed out that it is important to note that the state government was able to deliver eight local government areas as LGA ODF wide, these includes Dass, Warji, Shira, Gamawa, Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Toro and Katagum LGAs. Additional 5934 communities were delivered ODF while two other LGAs were at different level of becoming ODF that is Bauchi and Zaki LGAS.
As one of the sustainability process, the state government identified and trained private entrepreneurs on sanitation marketing for improved latrine construction at households and public places like markets and motor parks.
According to him, 194 toilets business owners, (TBOs), 582 masons and 116 toilet. investors were trained on improved latrine construction both at household and public places across the state.
As a result of the institutional formation and capacity building to the TBOs, Masons and Toilet investors, 113,092 improved toilets were constructed across the state.
Awareness were created through promotional activities by the government and toilet business owners on the need of improve latrine uptake and there is high demand for improve latrine by household, however, inadequate funds from household and TBOS becomes a bottleneck.
The TBOS were hand holded and linked to micro-finance institutions where they access funds for improve latrine construction on revolving basis and for business expansion by the TBOs.
The issuance of revolving loan to households by MFIs FastTrack improved latrine uptake while construction and usage of improve latrine is a dignity, pride, disease prevention economy prevention of water pollution to all.
He, therefore, urged all to use improved latrine for fecal management just as he extended the state government’s appreciation to UNICEF for its continued support to people of Bauchi State particularly women and children.
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