In order to prevent environmental pollution and the spread of disease, the National Orientation Agency has educated inhabitants of 13 local government areas in Nasarawa State about the dangers of defecating in public locations.
The Director General of the NOA, Garba Abari, claimed the impact of the unhygienic practise had caused several diseases, including diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid, among others, for residents of the state during a one-day sensitization workshop on “Open Defecation-Free Nigeria” on Tuesday in Lafia.
He bemoaned the fact that open defecation was largely to blame for the high number of children under the age of five who died, as well as the poverty brought on by the enormous costs of treating the diseases it spreads.
He said, “I am most delighted to be here (Nasarawa state) today for our continuous nationwide sensitisation campaign aimed at achieving Open Defecation Free Nigeria by year 2025.
“The issue of open defecation all over the world has assumed very disturbing proportion because of its implications on public health.
“This nationwide sensitisation campaign is aimed at achieving behavioural change while improving and ensuring access to good water, sanitation and hygiene practices as a way to achieving the goal of making Nigeria open defecation free by 2025.”
Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources, also spoke, and he was joined by Chizoma Opara, National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign. He emphasised the serious consequences of open defecation for Nigeria’s development and urged all Nasarawa State residents to adopt the habit of using the restroom rather than the bushes and other public spaces.
“Nigeria loses about ₦455bn of her Gross Domestic Products annually to poor access to sanitation. Nigeria is the second country after India with the most child deaths due to diarrhoea. There are about 102,000 under-5 child deaths which occur each year. So, the issue of open defecation should be taken very seriously so that we can tackle these challenges,” he added.
Earlier, the governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule, while declaring the workshop open, expressed gratitude to the management and staff of the NOA and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources for their efforts towards ensuring that open defection is eradicated in the country.
Sule, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Nuhu Oshafu, urged the participants to fully participate and actively contribute to the discussions in order to have the required knowledge to proffer a lasting solution to the unwholesome practice in the state.
