Wold Toilet Day: Minister wants collaborative efforts on open defecation

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Minister of Environment,Dr. Mohamade Mahmood, has challenged the national,state ,local government and stakeholders in environmental sanitation in particular on collaborative efforts to end open defecation in Nigeria.
Dr.Mahmood made the disclosure at the ministerial press briefing on World Toilet Day, yesterday in Abuja,saying that practical steps, actions individuals will go a long way in ensuring that everyone has access to eco-friendly sanitary facilities.
He said the theme for 2019 commemoration targeted ”Toilet For All”focuses on leaving no one behind as the world strives to achieved access to sanitation.
According to him:” this year’s Toilet Day is an reawakening of societal consciousness on the important of having eco-friendly sanitary facilities in every household and ensuring proper management of sewage “.
He said with the major challenges of poor excreta disposal ,the high rate of diarrhea disease which is the second cause of high morbidity and mortality amongst children under the age of five and other reoccurrence of cholera outbreak are all related to inadequate toilet facilities.
On sanitation crisis, he said if allow to continue this will undermine the overarching ambition of 2030 agenda of build safe,more resilient societies on a healthy planet while the date deadline is just 11years to achieved the sustainable Development Goal(SDG)6.
To achieved that,the minister emphasized the need “to draw attention of people that are left behind without sanitation, raise awareness and inspiring actions to tackle global crisis, end open defecation and ensue that toilets construction,operation use and management are ecosystem friendly”,Dr.Mahmood stated.
He also noted that, the ministry of environment has a consciously capacity in the area of Environmental Health and Sanitation manpower since 2017 in strengthening Environmental Health Training Institution.
“The Ministry has also provided sanitation training infrastructure by equipping the practical demonstration facilities in colleges of Health Technology in keffi, Nassarawa state, kaltungo,Gombe state and among other states.
Meanwhile,a community based waste facility in Karu in Nassarawa state include practical toilet facility as a component of the project was commissioned and handled over to Nassarawa state governments.