To rid Nigeria of open defecation and tackle outbreak of Cholera disease in the country, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev has informed that the Ministry is currently embarking on a campaign, tagged, “Clean Up Nigeria and Use the Toilet”.
The Minister disclosed this during an interactive meeting when he appeared at the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Water and Sanitation and presentation of 2023 and 2024 Budget performance in Abuja on Tuesday.
Prof. Utsev revealing that 75% of the 2023 budget has been expended, said no releases have been received for the current year.
He promised the Committee that the Ministry will construct more toilets across the country, noting that the number of local government areas free of open defecation has increased from 102 to 123 since he took office.
According to him, the only challenge the ministry is facing is insufficient funds.
“In the sanitation aspect, we have the clean up Nigeria and use the toilet campaign that’s on going which is putting an end to open defecation in Nigeria
“The campaign is ongoing and the mandate of the ministry is advocacy – to liaise with the subnational; with the state and local governments, will are going to put an end to open defecation in Nigeria”.
“The little challenge that we are having is insufficient funds, though we are liaising with the Ministry of finance, and Ministry of Budget and National Planning so that more funds will be given to us to intervene in the construction of toilets round the country”.
The Minister mentioned that only Jigawa state has met the open defecation free status using international standards.
After Minister’s briefing, the Vice Chairman of the Committee Senator Kenneth Eze, with other Senators questioned the success of the campaign on the grounds that Jigawa State is not as populous when compared with Lagos and Kano, hence it cannot be used as a gauge to determine the level of success.
According to them, Jigawa is not the best yardstick for the ministry to feel that the programme is having the relevant impact.
“When it comes to population, Kano, Lagos or Abuja, then I can compare how successful that campaign is. Open defecation is common in the cities, and not in the rural areas.
“If you tell me that Oshodi local government in Lagos is open defecation free, I can say you are doing a lot of work” they said