Kwara Government To End Open Defecation

The Kwara State Government has set the motion to collaborate and partner in a bid to accelerate progress toward putting an end to open defecation in the state within the shortest possible time.

Commissioner for Water Resources,  Risikatullahi Abdulmaliq-Bashir, on Thursday, disclosed this while receiving the audience of the Clean Nigeria Campaign team from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, who paid her an advocacy visit in her office.

The commissioner said the launching of the Clean Nigeria Campaign was not a rush, stressing that it requires all hands to be on deck to strengthen all the enablements and further empower the campaign on open defecation.

In a statement signed by the Ministry’s Assistant Press Secretary, Adewoye Oluwatosin, the commissioner said, “Kwara is moving and we are running a race, as the number one marathon in Nigeria and we will not disappoint you definitely.

Speaking during the visit, the National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign and leader of the team, Opara Chizoma, represented by the Deputy National Coordinator, Musa Lawal, applauded Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his efforts and support to drive the campaign to end open defecation in the State.

“You will recall that the Clean Nigeria Campaign was launched in 2019 by Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo (GCON).

"This was in response to Nigeria’s unfortunate position as the second country with the highest number of people practising open defecation globally, estimated at 48 million persons according to the 2021, WASH NORM Report, while access to sanitation in Kwara State was 31% and 50% of her population still practice open defecation”, the Coordinator noted.

The campaign, according to her, is aimed at mobilising high-level political support, resources, and the entire populace toward building a new culture of good sanitation practices in Nigeria.