The Federal Government has said it has commenced measures to combat cholera that caused high morbidity and mortality across the country, which includes ending open defecation by 2025.
Vice President Kashim Shettima spoke on Thursday when he inaugurated the Steering Committee for the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” Campaign at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the 2018 Water and Sanitation Hygiene national outcome revealed that approximately 47 million Nigerians engaged in open defecation, constituting 23 percent of the population.
He said that ending open defecation can be achieved by mobilising strategic stakeholders and leveraging technology and deploying innovative and sustainable solutions to boost the nation’s sanitation landscape.
Shettima, who underscored the significance of hygiene, health, and its impact on development and wealth, urged the committee to “align with broader government priorities and interventions in areas such as poverty reduction, education, and economic growth.”
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The VP said the recently reported cases of cholera in the country should serve as sufficient motivation for the committee to work harder, just as he directed members of the committee to “craft solutions to handle wastewater management, contaminated water sources, and open defecation” across the country.
“We are well aware that achieving this objective begins with our collective resolve to embrace behavioural change and cultivate a lifestyle that prioritises proper sanitation practices, hygiene education, and community engagement,” he added.
He stressed that the goals and aspirations of the country could be best achieved by harnessing the resources available in the public, and private sectors, especially by carrying out innovative research.
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“The public sector cannot succeed in this campaign unless we engage and encourage private sector participation and invite innovative and sustainable solutions.
“We must partner by utilising technology for real-time monitoring, data collection, and impact assessment while recognising the role of youth and women in driving change,” the VP emphasised.
Aside from its core mandate, the Vice President tasked the committee to be vigilant in its assignment, especially “as we develop solutions to the devastations of climate change, urbanisation, and population growth”, noting that “we have become ambassadors of a cause that seeks to restore the health and dignity of our people”.
The meeting, which is the fifth since the flag-off of the Clean Nigeria Campaign in 2019, provides a forum to review the progress achieved so far in the country.
