By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Governor Abubakar led administration in Bauchi state for paying its counterpart funding of N600 million for the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in the state.
“I’m aware that Bauchi state under your committed leadership has demonstrated commitment by releasing counterpart cash contribution for the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. Furthermore, your government has committed to releasing N25 million per month from August 2016 to March 2018”, the agency told the governor.
This singular effort, according to the agency, has not only helped to provide safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to Bauchi state, but also resulted in Dass LGA being the first to be declared open defecation free (ODF) in Nigeria.
The Officer –In-Charge of UNICEF Nigeria Bauchi Field Office, Mr. Drissa Yeo revealed that Warji LGA is next in line, while Gamawa is at 85% ODF, as Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Shira and Toro were in various stages of successes.
Yeo, at the declaration of Dass as the second LGA in the country to attain the ODF status, at a ceremony held in Dass Monday, stressed the need for Bauchi state government to meet its obligations in partnership by converting the LGHS units into WASH department, among others.
Mr. Drissa Yeo recalled that the Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) project in Bauchi state started in 2010 with 3 LGAs, and following progress achieved with the support of the state government, the LGAs benefitting from the project have been increased to ten, namely Dass, Warji, Gamawa, Toro, Shira, Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Zaki, Bauchi and Katagum.
He explained tha Dass LGA has been in the lead of all the LGA implementing SHAWN project in Nigeria with all its 351 communities certified as ODF by the State Task Group on Sanitation (STGS) between 2012 and 2016, and finally validated by the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) in 2017.
Yeo stated that the impact of the intervention cut across all the 351 communities, institutions (schools and health centres) and public places (markets and motor parks) in the LGA with reduced cases of water and sanitation related diseases.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has in a goodwill message, said that only 37.8% of the Bauchi state population are using improved latrines while 15% are still practicing open defecation, stressing “About 60% of the state population still require our attention for sanitation uptake”.
“You all know that poor sanitation badly affects our children’s health. An early exposure to an environment where open defecation is rampant leads to celiac disease which affect our digestive ability to absorb nutrition from the food we eat”
According to the project, no matter how healthy a food may be feeding your children, if they live in an environment of open defecation their growth remains stunted, and as healthy body makes a healthy brain and so does an unhealthy and stunted body leads to inadequate cognitive development.
It however noted with delight that today the people and Local Government of Dass have protected the future of their children, and it is incumbent upon all of us to spread the movement and make all other LGAs in Bauchi state ODF as the top cause.
