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Vice President Shettima Vows to End Open Defecation by 2025

Vice President Kashim Shettima announced on Thursday that the Federal Government has initiated measures to combat the cholera epidemic by addressing its root causes, including open defecation. He emphasized that the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to ending open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Steering Committee for the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” Campaign at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima stressed the importance of mobilizing strategic stakeholders, leveraging technology, and deploying innovative solutions to enhance the nation’s sanitation landscape.

The announcement comes in the wake of a recent cholera outbreak affecting several states, including Lagos. From January to June 2024, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 3,000 suspected cases, with 65 confirmed and 30 fatalities across 96 local government areas in 30 states. The most affected states include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos.

Shettima underscored the significance of hygiene and health for development and wealth creation, urging the committee to align its efforts with broader government priorities, including poverty reduction, education, and economic growth. He directed the committee to develop solutions for wastewater management, contaminated water sources, and open defecation.

Expressing confidence in the committee’s dedication, Shettima highlighted the need for research-driven approaches to sanitation. “We must prioritize proper sanitation practices, hygiene education, and community engagement to achieve our objective,” he stated.

He also emphasized the importance of public and private sector collaboration, advocating for innovative solutions and technology to monitor and assess the campaign’s impact. Shettima noted the vital role of youth and women in driving change.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, noted the cholera epidemic’s widespread impact, citing examples of successful interventions, such as Jigawa State’s achievement of open defecation-free status.

Presenting the report on the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign,’ Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, outlined the campaign’s challenges and successes since its inception in 2016. The campaign, aimed at eradicating open defecation by 2025, seeks to mobilize national and sub-national support, create a pool of resource persons, and set mechanisms for tracking progress.

Utsev highlighted the economic, social, and health impacts of open defecation, referencing the 2016 roadmap that estimated N959bn would be needed for constructing toilets nationwide. He called for support from the Ministries of Finance and Justice to ensure the campaign’s success.

 

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