…Aliyu Flags Off Construction Of 10,000 Public Toilets
Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has stated that around one in every three people in the nation’s capital, or around 37 percent of the population, engages in open defecation (ODF), and that the problem must be addressed.
She dropped this hint when she kicked began the construction of 10,000 public restrooms in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, while also urging FCT RUWASSA and other stakeholders to step up their efforts to make the FCT open defecation-free.
The minister stated at the groundbreaking event that Nigeria began a five-year campaign in 2014 to abolish open defecation across the country by installing millions of toilets and changing the behavior of millions of Nigerians.
The minister said; “On November 9, 2021, the FCT Administration launched an action plan targeted at ending open defecation by 2025. The plan involves providing equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and strengthening community-led approaches to total sanitation”.
She reiterated that the optimal benefits that accrue from adequate water supply cannot be achieved without a corresponding improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices, stressing that access to adequate potable water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices, play important roles in defining the human capital development of a nation.
The minister maintained that the FCT Administration would continue to support and encourage private sector collaboration and participation in the provision of public conveniences in the territory in line with the commitment to work with the private sector to create jobs, while improving the people’s living standards
Aliyu commended the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, UNICEF, WaterAid, Lixil Corporation, USAID, JICA and other Development Partners for supporting and collaborating with the FCT Administration to end open defecation before the year 2025.
In his remarks, the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, who was represented by a director in his office, Mr. Prospect Ibe, said the FCT Administration has drawn up a road map to end open defecation in the territory by the year 2025, in line with national target and vision.
He also added that the road map lays out a comprehensive series of transitions that the Administration consider critical to the achievement of the vision for water and sanitation, stressing that the Administration would accelerate the deployment of infrastructure and technology that will support universal access to safe water and proper sanitation across the territory in line with the Abuja Master Plan.
On his part, the Executive Director FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Dr. Mohammed Dan-Hassan, noted that clean and safe toilets would ensure fundamental human dignity for millions of residents, adding that open defecation spreads disease, threatens the security of women and girls, and contributes to malnutrition.
