By Tina George, Minna
The Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman Adamu has disclosed that 25 states, including the FCT have refused to declare a state of emergency on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
He also said that the development is not a good sign of encouraging collaboration between the federal and state governments in achieving the zero defecation status by 2025.
Speaking in Minna while declaring the 26th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Water Resources open, the Minister said that the President Muhammadu Buhari had declared a State of Emergency on WASH sector in November 2018, adding that only 11 states had so far declared a state of emergency in the said sector.
He urged the other states to expedite action and declare a state of emergency in the WASH sector.
“The National Action Plan for Revitalization of the WASH sector and declaration of a state of emergency on WASH sector have been declared by President Buhari on 8th November 2018 with the aim of establishing a renewed federal government and state partnership towards the credible pursuit of the SDGs.
“Guidelines and terms of reference for state participation in the technical assistance programme have been developed and distributed the 36 states and FCT.
“However, only 11 states have responded and declared a state of emergency on the WASH sector namely, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Taraba, Delta, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Plateau, Jigawa, Kastina, and Benue. We await the response of the remaining stayed and FCT.”
Speaking on open defecation, Adamu stated that only 15 local government areas across five states in Nigeria had achieved Open Defecation-free Status.
He said that the campaign against open defecation cannot work without states and local governments involvement, urging everyone to support the campaign against open defecation.
“The campaign against open defecation cannot work without the state’s and local government involvement because the people are not living in Abuja, they are living in the state and local government areas.
“Everybody practices the bad behavior of open defecation, therefore it is the onus of everyone to support the campaign against open defecation.”
The Minister, however, disclosed that 29 states have endorsed the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) which is aimed at improving water supply and sanitation situation in rural areas urging the remaining seven states and FCT to endorse the PEWASH Protocol.
“The federal government will from henceforth only compliment states that have shown and expressed commitment in the WASH sector.”
