UNICEF Seeks Increased Budget For Water, Sanitation, Hygiene

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the media to join an advocacy effort urging the government to increase budget allocations for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to tackle preventable diseases that cause unnecessary illnesses and deaths in Nigeria.

The Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mr Rahama Rihood Mohammed, made the call during a two-day media dialogue and field visit focused on WASH in public schools and health facilities in Kano State.

He stated that, according to national survey data, only 11 percent of schools across the country are equipped with adequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene facilities.

Rahama added that Hygiene and Sanitation coverage in health facilities stands at just 6 percent in the Northwest region, describing the situation as a serious public health concern.

He also revealed that the United Kingdom, through UNICEF, had spent £19 million on the Climate Resilient for Basic Infrastructure (CRIBS) programme implemented in Jigawa and Kano states in 2025.

“Based on the successful implementation of the approach in Kano and Jigawa States, the initiative has been expanded this year to include Bauchi, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, and Katsina states,” he stated

He reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to continue supporting and collaborating with governments to promote WASH initiatives in Nigeria.

Speaking at the media dialogue, the director of the Kano State Primary Healthcare Agency, represented by the director of Environment and Public Health, Dr Sani Abdullahi Ungogo, confirmed that only 282 out of 1,239 Primary Healthcare Facilities in the state have comprehensive WASH services.

For their part, the executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Board represented by the board secretary, Hajiya Amina Umar, noted that the state has 8,782 public primary and junior secondary schools.

According to her, out of that total, 5,584 schools have basic water and sanitation facilities, while only 3,803 have basic hygiene facilities.

A field visit to several schools and health facilities in Kano State revealed significant gaps in WASH provisions, particularly in rural areas.

The media dialogue concluded with recommendations for intensified advocacy to increase government budget allocations to the sector, as well as the development of a comprehensive framework to bridge existing gaps.