Two Local Government Areas, Soba and Kauru in Kaduna State have been certified and declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni, announced the emergence of the new Achievers at the 26th July 2023 monthly meeting of the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), a Multi Sectoral Platform involving Line Ministries, Agencies, NGO Network and the Media.
She revealed that the certification and declaration of these two new LGAs bring the total number of Open Defecation Free Local Government Areas in Nigeria to 104.
The Permanent Secretary said that Nigeria has made substantial progress since 2017 when only one Local Government Area, Obaniluku LGA in Cross River State was Open Defecation Free.
According to Mrs. Walson-Jack, 27 LGAs in Jigawa State have achieved ODF status, which makes Jigawa State, the first Open Defecation Free State in Nigeria. Other States and the number of their ODF LGAs are Anambra (3); Akwa Ibom (1); Bauchi (7); Benue (9); Borno (2); Cross River (6); Kano(11); Kaduna (7); Katsina (25); Osun (1); Yobe (1)Zamfara (3); and Imo (1) LGAs respectively.
The Permanent Secretary said that the Ministry through the Clean Nigeria Campaign is working assiduously to improve the number of ODF LGAs in the country. She urged the State and Local Governments to give priority to the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign to ensure that Nigeria meets the target of an Open Defecation Free nation, by the year 2025.
It would be recalled that following the declaration of a State of Emergency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, Nigeria flagged off the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign in November 2019. The Campaign was backed by Executive Order 9, towards making Nigeria Open Defecation Free by 2025.
Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan
Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, FMWR.
