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Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Kebbi State government and National Orientation Agency(NOA) have sought for the general public cooperation to end open defecations before year 2025 timeline.

Minister of Water Resources,Eng Suleiman Adamu while speaking at one day capacity building workshop for community orientation and mobilization officers on Open Defecation Free(ODF) in Birnin Kebbi,on Thursday organized by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), noted that, Nigeria can not afford to be number one country in the world on the menace.

Adamu,represented by Mrs. Ambrose Nnaji Chiyere Grace, a Principal Scientist Officer at the Ministry’s headquarters, Abuja, said,it would be appalling if the nation becomes number one in the world.

‘Nigeria has been giant of Africa, we are taking leads in everything. One thing we would not like to take a lead is Nigeria stepping into number one position. Because,as we see it now, before, they ranked Nigeria second position in the world.

‘It will be shameful, it will be very appalling if you travel looking good,neat as giant of Africa, somebody from another country call you,telling you I learnt that Nigeria is number one in open defecations. How would you feel?,’ she asked.

The Minister appealed to all Nigerians and other local governments to emulate 27 LGAs which have been certified free of open defecations, stressed that, before year 2025, targeted for deadline to end the menace, all Councils in Nigeria must be free of the menace.

In his remark, the Kebbi State Commissioner for Information and Cultures,Alhaji Mahmud Warrah, represented by the Director of Information, Alhaji Surajo Umar Yauri urged both national and state Assemblies to enact laws to end the menace.

He said: ‘The policy chain order urge the National and State Assembles to enact appropriate laws, sanctions and penalties for open deification-free practitioners. It will help to ensure that ending open deification receive deliberate and sustained attention.

‘I recalled in the 60s when we were small, if they gave us refuse to go and deposit it somewhere, you will look left, right and centre and make sure that the Dubagari is not there before you dump it and start running.

‘Otherwise, if you are caught, you are in for a serious trouble, you will defiantly receive some lashes which will make you regret your action.

‘That was the situation before, the open defecations wasn’t that too much, guided by religion that time but it escalate at a later time, you find people even defecating, especially in the riverine areas free- of- charge inside water.

‘And it will be transported to other areas especially during their flooding period which is very dangerous. However, we need a law to strengthen the Dubagaris to enable them functions well in tune with democratic and civil order,’ he advised.

The Deputy Director, Mrs. Theresa Maduekwe, from the Public Enlightenment Mobilization Department of the National Orientation Agency (NOA),appeal to the general public to team up to construct affordable toilets, water systems that would be use for sanitation and ending open defecations.

‘They should team up to build water system, toilets facilities family to families and to communities which they could afford. We are encouraging this practice by mobilizing families so that they can contribute to build the kind of toilet they can afford.’

In his remarks, the Kebbi State Director of National Orientation Agency(NOA), Mr. Joseph Y. Machika said the President Muhammad Buhari signed an executive order 009 on Wednesday November 20,2019 to tackle the menace of open defecations in Nigeria with projection on a time line of 2025 and urge the National and State Assemblies to enact laws, sanctions and penalties to deal with offenders.

‘Report available to NOA from World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and other joint monitoring team shows that one in every four Nigerians, about 47 Million people practice open defecations due yo lack of toilet facilities, an action, considered crude, primitive and uncivilized especially in this 21st century of Hunan civilization.

‘Its on this note that necessitated NOA with a mandate to sensitize, mobilize, and orient the Nigerian populace on government programmes, policies and activities to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to ensure the actualisation of the presidential project of ODF in Nigeria by 2025, a vision that requires our collective mission.’