As part of effort in ensuring access to potable water and sanitation to all and to end open defecation in the country, federal ministry of water resources has taken another dimension to engage Nigeria youths in fighting against the menace through launching of a YOUTHWASH Strategic Pogramme.
The initiative is to demonstrate the strong will of the federal government in reversing the narrative on Nigeria’s poor Water, Sanitation and Hygiene indices as well as providing lasting solutions to identified challenges, while improving access to sustainable WASH services for Nigerians.
Minister of the ministry, Engr. Suleiman Adamu while unveiling the document at the NYSC orientation camp on Wednesday in Abuja, stated that the programme was designed to mobilize Corps members in particular and youths at all levels, to engage them in the development of the WASH sector towards social and economic prosperity of the nation.
Explaining that water, sanitation and hygiene is not just about specific persons or places, but it cuts across phases of life including young and old. As it is the ministry’s intensifying efforts to attain Social Development Goal (SDG) 6:1 and 6:2 target in order to achieve universal and equitable access to safely managed drinking water and services for all.
In furtherance to the launch of the initiative, Adamu alongside his counterpart, Mr. Sunday Dare, Minister for Youths and Sports Development went on to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate the plans in achieving open defecation free, ODF 2025.
Recall that the ministry had before now signed MOU with the ministries of Education and Health on the SchoolWASH and HealthWASH programmes so as to improve the educational institutions and health care facilities alongside the water sector.
According to him, “Today’s launch of the YouthWASH programme completes the initiation of the tripartite SHY-WASH programmes, that is the School, Health and Youth- WASH programmes which are all geared towards accelerating access to sustainable WASH services in the country”.
Adding that NYSC scheme is one platform to engaging teeming Nigerian youths across the country while signing of the MOU will sustain collaboration between the ministries.
“Today’s launch is a culmination of series of engagement with the federal ministry of Youths and Sports Development, National Youth Service Corps, Youth WASH Africa and other stakeholders, to bring on board our youths and create a space for them within the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector”.
“I therefore, wish to enjoin our dear youths to see the YOUTHWASH programme for the high impact value that it offers, especially for the health and productivity of the population. I strongly believe that the programme and other initiatives of this administration that we are bequeathing will contribute to our meeting international obligations and local commitments for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene”, he said.
In his goodwill message, executive coordinator of YOUTHWASH Initiative Africa (YOUTHWASH AFRICA), Mr. Nature Obiakor said essence of it was to train youths to be an advocate for change as well as engage them in campaign against open defecation in the country.
Obiakor emphasized that it could only be a comprehensive action plan of young skilled Nigerians to manage procedures that will reach shared objective of ODF and to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to safe drinking water and sustainable sanitation.
National Coordinator, Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet campaign to end open defecation in Nigeria, Mrs Chizoma Opara, emphasized the only way to reach the target year of 2025 is to engage continuity by the incoming administration on the already existing plans and structure in the water sector.
She stated that despite various challenges on the path of ODF Nigeria, since its launch in 2019 by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, where only of just about 16 LGAs open defecation free, but as at today the initiative has made a progressive record of 102 local government areas out of the total number of 774 LGAs in Nigeria.
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