By Seun Adams
The Federal Government on Thursday said poor sanitation has been identified as being responsible for a significant percentage of preventable communicable diseases particularly in Nigeria and other developing countries.
Speaking at the 2023 National Environmental Sanitation
Day, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, he said large number of children die every year due to sanitation and hygiene enabled diseases.
More than 3.5 million children suffer from diarrheal diseases and this is not a small figure, children, who are less than 5years old, are more prone to such diseases, he added.
Yusuf, said: “I am delighted to be in your midst today to commemorate the year 2023 National Environmental Sanitation Day which is a national advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding on the importance of sanitation and hygiene as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases, save lives and ensure effective and quality sanitation delivery services as well as meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 6 and 7 by 2030.
“This year’s theme “Promoting sustainable waste management for a healthy environment: stop open dumping” could not be more apt and timely considering the critical role sanitation and hygiene play in preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid fever, Lassa Fever, COVID-19 virus, Monkey pox virus etc.”
According to him, the theme is also a clarion call for every Nigerian to work together and leverage on lessons learned from response to COVID-19 to address the neglect of Sanitation and hygiene as a major means of preventing and controlling transmission of sanitation & hygiene associated infectious diseases.
The Permanent Secretary, explained that the importance and benefit of creating awareness, behavioural change and institutionalization of sanitation and hygiene practices among the citizens are our drivers in implementing this programme at this time.
Yusuf, said: “The advent of emerging and re-emerging diseases such as COVID-19, Lassa Fever, Monkey pox, Cholera etc. in Nigeria has further underscored the fact that access to Sanitation and Hygiene is not only a fundamental human right that safeguards public health and human dignity but also an essential need when it comes to disease prevention.
“This year’s National Environmental Sanitation Day, therefore calls for individuals, communities, governments at all levels, development partners etc. to be involved in the planning and implementation of sanitation and hygiene activity within their immediate environment, community and the nation at large.
“In 1999, The Federal Government through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the movement of the sanitation mandate from other line Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) providing sanitation services to form part of the Federal Ministry of Environment and ever since then, the Ministry in its effort to promote Clean and healthy Environment has been carrying out programmes and activities in the following areas: Development of National Environmental Sanitation Policy and its guidelines in 2005 on Pest and Vector Control, School Sanitation, Market and Abattoir Sanitation, Sanitary Inspection of Premises, Solid Waste Management.
“It also includes Safe excreta and sewage disposal whose policy document was reviewed in 2019, Construction of public toilets in public places like Schools and markets; development of National Policy on Solid Waste Management, National Policy on Plastic Waste Management.
“Others include establishment of Plastic Recycling Centres across the country, community intervention programmes on open defecation including sensitization advocacy and awareness creation programme, Establishment of Environmental Health Council (EHCON), NOSDRA and NESREA.”
He added that the has been carrying out sanitary inspection of all Federal Government establishments, including Federal Government Schools, Ministries, Parastatals, Agencies Military and Paramilitary Barracks, Correctional Centres (Prisons), Public places such as Petrol Stations, Abattoirs, motor parks, markets and regulated food premises such as hotels and eateries.
According to him, the states and LGAs use the policies and guidelines developed as guide for their daily routine for sanitation and hygiene activities in their various domains.
Environmental sanitation, he explained is imperative for socio- economic development, adding that its impact on all the SDGs most especially SDG Goal 6-Improved Access to Clean Water and Sanitation.
The proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation in the recent analysis he said reveals that less than half of the Nigerian population has access to improved sanitation facilities. In addition, many of our city centres, communities and households still battle with the problems of waste management.
Also, the Permanent Secretary partook in launch the Great Green Wall Day (GGW) which held at the State House, Aso Villa in Abuja.
He said: “This occasion is necessitated by the need to carry along every stakeholder in our bid to combat deforestation, drought, desertification, land degradation and the challenges of climate change.
“The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), was established by an Act in 2015 and is focused primarily, to pursue the laudable vision of the African Union and its Heads of Governments when they adopted and launched the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) in 2005.
“The implementation of the initiative in Nigeria so far has recorded significant improvement in the livelihoods of the affected communities which are vulnerable to the impact of emerging climate change risks in the frontline States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara through the reduction of glaring poverty, and ecosystem restoration among others.
However, he said there is the need to foster increased mobilization and sensitization campaigns on ecological challenges such as drought, desertification, land degradation as well as climate change. To achieve this, aggressive afforestation and reforestation activities are desirable at national and sub-national levels.
“Since the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) has directed Member Countries participating in the implementation of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) to observe a dedicated day for more awareness creation, this informs the gathering here today to witness the first edition of Nigeria’s celebration of the GGW Day.
He said federal government is fully committed to ensuring that the mandate for which the National Agency for the Great Green Wall was established are pursued vigorously within the framework of the available resources to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution and reduction of Greenhouse Gas emission.