Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State Government has intensified efforts to achieve open defecation-free (ODF) status across the state through a multi-sectoral approach.
Gov. Peter Mbah said this while declaring open a two-day consultative workshop on the “Enugu State ODF Roadmap” in Enugu.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Mbah described the roadmap as a call to action.
“This engagement must be multi-sectoral; it is a public health emergency and a developmental project for us. It is also a matter of dignity.
“It also complements the human development index of this administration,” he said.
He urged the stakeholders drawn from various sectors to come up with a roadmap that would be achievable for the state government.
“We want a roadmap that can help us move from where we are to where we ought to be.
“This plan must be owned by all stakeholders. We must recognise that achieving an open defecation-free Enugu State requires collective responsibility,” Mbah said.
Speaking, the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Ben Ndu, said the state government had demonstrated strong commitment to achieving ODF through the enactment of laws.
He expressed appreciation to UNICEF and ActionAid for their support in the state’s efforts to achieve ODF.
According to him, one local government area, Igbo Etiti, has been declared ODF-free, adding that more LGAs would follow suit in no distant time.
Speaking to journalists on the ODF situation in Enugu State, the UNICEF WASH Chief in Nigeria, Emily Rand, said it was worrisome.
According to her, UNICEF’s partnership with the state is to help it achieve ODF and save vulnerable children.
She disclosed that 74 per cent of children in Enugu State drink contaminated water, maintaining that the state has the worst ODF situation in the entire South-East region of Nigeria.
She said there was need for more efforts by all stakeholders in the state to reduce the menace.
“We want to join all the stakeholders in ensuring that the children of Enugu State have healthy living,” she said.
Dr Timeyin Uwe Jamomere of Mangrove and Partners, project consultants, stressed the need for more budgetary provisions toward achieving ODF in the state.
In his review of “State of Sanitation in Enugu State: An Overview of ODF Roadmap,” Uwe Jamomere called for greater group sensitisation toward achieving open defecation-free status in the state.
“Traditional institutions, youth leaders, religious leaders and other critical stakeholders should join hands in sensitising communities to stop open defecation,” he said.
