Environment

Council Canvasses For Policies On Sanitation Ownership

Published

11 years ago

July 13, 2015

The Water Supply and
Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has urged the Federal Government to put policies in place to enable its citizens take ownership of sanitation and hygiene in their locality.
WSSCC Programme Support Officer, Matilda Jerneck , told newsmen in Abuja, recently, that this was necessary to scale up access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
She said development partners alone would not be able to drive the change.
According to her, they can only act as catalysts for scaling up sanitation and thereby reduce the number of persons dying from water -borne diseases in the country.
She said the country could not achieve much in terms of scaling up sanitation, if it failed to put measures in place to encourage all Nigerians to making sanitation a priority.
“Nigeria needs to take ownership of scaling up its activities for water, sanitation and hygiene. It is an entry point to wider development; that is why we need to do something fast.”
According to her, no fewer than 2.5 billion persons globally, lack access to decent sanitation and more than a billion defecate in the open.
“Diarrhoeal disease, largely caused by poor sanitation and hygiene, is a leading cause of malnutrition, stunting and child mortality, claiming nearly 600,000 under-five lives every year.
“Inadequate facilities also affect education and economic productivity and impact the dignity and personal safety of women and girls.”
Jerneck said that the WSSCC, through the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) works through behavioural activities to help large numbers of poor people in the hardest-to-reach areas attain safe sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices.
These activities, she said, were community-led, support national efforts, which brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to address, at a large scale, the severe deficiencies in access to sanitation and hygiene.
On the outcome of the recently concluded mission visit to GSF-supported states of Benue and Cross River, Jerneck said there was the need for such states to pay up counterpart funds to scale up hygiene and sanitation.
She said the GSF, between 2013 and 2014 alone, reported an almost 90 per cent increase in the number of people living in open-defecation free environment in 13 countries across Africa and Asia.
Meanwhile, Mr Nanpet Chuktu, the GSF National Programme Officer, also told NAN that since the beginning of the programme, 340,000 communities in six local government areas in Benue and Cross River had stopped open defecation.
He said through the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) Programme of the GSF, no fewer than 741 communities, had been triggered on Community-Led Total Sanitation practices.
Chuktu said there was the need for more commitment from all stakeholders to carry out monitoring in sustaining achievement recorded in reducing open defecation.

Environment

NSE Inauguates 18 Units Residential Terrace In Lagos

Published

3 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.

The project, located on Nurudeen Olowopopo Drive, is a partnership between the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), Messrs Locke Homes Ltd and NSE Ventures Ltd (NSEVL).

NSEVL is the business arm of the Society.

Oguntala said the turning the sod ceremony of the joint development of the NSEVL- LSDPC-LOCKE HOMES JV Construction Project marked a milestone for the Society.

She added that it also showed NSE’s collective commitment to sustainable infrastructure and housing development in Lagos State and Nigeria at large.

She said the project was part of the deliberate efforts of NSE to contribute meaningfully to addressing the perennial challenge of housing deficit in Nigeria.

“We recognise that housing is a critical component of national development, economic growth, and social stability.

“This development is only the beginning of plans by the Nigerian Society of Engineers in the housing and real estate sector,” she said.

The president called on government at all levels, private sector stakeholders, and development partners to continue to support housing initiatives towards collectively achieving sustainable urban development.

Oguntala thanked the Lagos State Government for the opportunity to be part of the ongoing infrastructure revolution in the state.

“We are particularly grateful for the allocation of this plot, which has made this project possible.

“This gesture underscores the confidence reposed in the engineering profession and our capacity to deliver projects of enduring value,” she said.

She also commended the board and management of NSE Ventures Ltd, LSDPC and Locke Homes, for their dedication, professionalism and tireless efforts in bringing the vision to reality.

According to her, the groundbreaking ceremony is the result of strategic collaboration, perseverance and shared commitment to excellence.

She urged the development company and all professionals involved in the project to ensure compliance to highest standards at every stage of the project, from design and construction through to completion.

“Quality, safety, sustainability and adherence to best engineering practices must remain our guiding principles,” she said.

Mr Olufemi Dosumu, Chairman NSE Ventures Ltd. thanked the NSE President for her unwavering support, especially during the difficult period of resolving the land title document.

Dosumu also commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who continues to drive the reforms that position Lagos as a peaceful Centre of Excellence.

“Business can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and stability.

“We appeal to governments at all levels to ensure that safety of lives and property is guaranteed for all citizens,” he said.

He also thanked their partners and commended foresight of past leaders of NSEVL who acquired the land about 30 years ago.

He said the NSEVL was established in 1989 as an investment arm of the NSE to identify and promote business opportunities for the benefit of the Society.

He said the project would break barriers, create jobs, foster skills, and inspire young minds to aim for the best, ultimately contributing to the growth of the nation.

Gboyega Fatimiehin, Chief executive Officer, Locke Homes Ltd., the developers giving a scope of the project, said it is a terrace of 18 units of totally residential accommodation with a 30-month completion period.

Fatimiehin added that the facility would have a swimming pool, a gym, parking space, CCTV, steady power and water supply, among others.

Environment

FG Launched 1 GOV Digital Content System In Nigeria

Published

3 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.

The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.

According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.

Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.

She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.

Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.

She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.

“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.

She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.

She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.

Environment

RIVERS HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SET TO DOMESTICATE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT

Published

3 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

The Rivers State House of Assembly says it’s set to domesticate the Climate Change Bill in Rivers State.

Speaking while Unveiling the book Loss and damage the Deputy Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Dumle Maol described the research conducted in Ogoni Communities by the African Indigenous Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development among Communities Ogoniland as a global phenomenon promising that the Rivers State House of Assembly is prepared to work with relevant authorities and stakeholders in the sector to ensure that Rivers people get remedy for the consequences of climate on their environment.

The Deputy Speaker said though a Governing Council will be in place here in the State , it will be guided by the National Council in Abuja appealing to all Stakeholders and indeed Rivers People to participate in the public hearing and buy in fully to give the state an opportunity to highlight and mitigate the issues on the impact of Climate Change on our Rivers environment

In his speech, the Executive Director of the African Indigenous Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development AIFES, Legborsi Pyagbara said the research observations is an observation from reports taken from community led findings which revealed that climate Change has led to actuall loss and Damages to inhabitants of Ogoni Communities and call for collaborative efforts between the Government and the Communities including the Civil Society groups and the Media to identify early warning signs around our environment.

The unveiling and response on the Community led research on Loss and Damage ceremony was chaired by the Thomas Bari ere, the Executive chairman of Khana Local Government Area with civil Society groups, traditional Rulers, women groups and the Media in attendance.