Oyo. UNICEF Partner To End Open Defecation By 2028

Oyo State government, done the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), successful collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reaffirmed its committedness to strengthening policies, organization frameworks, and capableness gathering to accelerate entree to inclusive and sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services towards ending unfastened defecation crossed the state.

This committedness was renewed astatine a one-day roundtable connected the Oyo State Open Defecation Free (ODF) and WASH Campaign, organised by RUWASSA successful concern with UNICEF which held astatine the Ibadan Business School, Ibadan.

Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, represented by Mrs. Adebukola Akinwale, stressed that entree to harmless water, sanitation, and hygiene was not conscionable a societal work but a cardinal quality close and a cornerstone of sustainable development.

“The health, dignity, and productivity of our radical are straight linked to the availability and sustainability of WASH services. It is our corporate work arsenic government, improvement partners, the backstage sector, civilian society, and communities to physique an inclusive strategy that leaves nary 1 behind,” she said.

In his remarks, the president of RUWASSA, Alhaji Babalola Afobaje, raised interest implicit the precocious complaint of unfastened defecation successful Oyo State.

Citing the 2021 WASHNORM report, helium noted that 53.7% of the state’s colonisation inactive prosecute successful unfastened defecation portion lone 29.2% person entree to basal sanitation services.

He described the signifier arsenic a nationalist wellness situation driving recurring outbreaks of cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid, peculiarly among children.

Afobaje, however, reaffirmed that Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, successful concern with UNICEF, was determined to destruct unfastened defecation successful each 33 section authorities areas of Oyo State by 2028.

He besides listed ongoing interventions, including the rehabilitation and drilling of boreholes, operation of solar-powered h2o facilities, and proviso of sanitation facilities successful nationalist institutions crossed the state.

For her part, UNICEF WASH Manager, Mrs. Jolly Ann Maulit, presenting a insubstantial connected “Unlocking the Potential of the Sanitation Economy”, emphasised the value of backstage assemblage partnerships successful bridging the immense sanitation financing spread successful Nigeria.

She emphasised connected the opportunities successful the toilet economy, circular sanitation system (recycling discarded into biogas, fertilizer, and cleanable water), and astute sanitation system (technology-driven sanitation services).

Other speakers, including UNICEF WASH Specialist, Lagos Field Office, Mr. Monday Johnson, and Sanitation Marketing Facilitator, Mr. Abdulsalam urged backstage assemblage actors, fiscal institutions, and non-governmental organisations to play progressive roles successful scaling up sanitation solutions, stressing that Oyo State cannot execute its Open Defecatio-Free (ODF) people without their involvement.