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Council Canvasses For Policies On Sanitation Ownership

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11 years ago

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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.

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Environment

Lagos State  Government Refuted Resumed Monthly Sanitation 

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Lagos State Government on Saturday refuted an online media report claiming that the state had resumed the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said no categorical statement had been made regarding the commencement date of the exercise.
Wahab explained that what he told newsmen after a project inspection tour last Sunday was that engagements with relevant stakeholders were still ongoing.
He said the state government had planned to begin with a sensitisation programme last week, but was constrained by logistics issues.
“The truth is, we were meant to start with a sensitisation programme last week, but we had a logistics issue. We need to find a day that is acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the exercise might return very soon, adding that the official date would be communicated by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The commissioner urged law-abiding residents to continue their lawful activities without hindrance, assuring them that adequate notice would be given before the exercise was reintroduced.
The monthly environmental sanitation, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.
However, renewed waste management challenges, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal, have sparked calls from residents for its reinstatement.
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Environment

LAWMA Director Says Sweeping Reforms Have Improved Waste Collection 

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, says sweeping reforms and infrastructure upgrades have significantly improved waste collection efficiency across the state.
Gbadegesin disclosed this to newdmen last week in Lagos state.
He said LAWMA expanded night cleaning operations and increased street sweeping coverage to 1,000 routes statewide.
He disclosed that 16,000 street sweepers were currently engaged across Lagos, supported by improved logistics and operational systems.
He said LAWMA acquired new equipment three years ago to complement Private Sector Participants (PSP) compactors and rehabilitated old trucks to strengthen fleet capacity.
He added that additional compactor trucks were expected in the coming months.
“Heavy-duty equipment is now deployed to clear legacy illegal dumpsites across communities,” he said.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA strengthened human capacity by expanding its advocacy department and deepening collaboration with Community Development Associations (CDAs) and local councils.
He revealed that each local government now operates a waste management task force, supported by LAWMA integration desks.
On waste-to-wealth initiatives, he disclosed that the Lagos State House of Assembly had ratified a concession agreement with ZoomLion to construct transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities.
The facilities, he said, would enable closure of the Olusosun and Solous landfills and process 4,000 tonnes of waste daily.
He said organic waste, which constitutes about 50 per cent of Lagos waste, would be converted into compost, while plastics would be recycled into waste bins.
Gbadegesin also disclosed plans for a 1,500-tonnes-per-day waste-to-energy plant in partnership with a Dutch firm, Harvest Waste.
He said the project was expected to generate 60 megawatts of electricity to support emerging industrial zones.
He further highlighted a pilot biogas plant at the Epe Food Market, which processes 500kg of organic waste daily to generate electricity for market operations.
He called for stronger media collaboration to enhance public awareness and behavioral change.
“Waste management is not just about equipment; it is about human behaviour, enforcement and strong regulatory systems,” he said.
He urged residents to utilise LAWMA’s toll-free lines and digital platforms to report service gaps instead of resorting to illegal dumping.
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Environment

Ministry Of Environment To Validate A Landmark Policy To Advance Nigeria’s Economy 

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Federal Ministry of Environment last Thursday convened key stakeholders in Abuja to validate a landmark policy brief aimed at tackling marine litter to advance Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy.
Mrs Falmata Bukar-Kolo, the Deputy Director, Solid Waste Management and Technology Division in the ministry, warned that plastic pollution poses serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health.
She stated that microplastics have already entered the food chain through fish consumption, while clogged waterways, soil contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions from burning plastics are worsening the environmental crisis.
Bukar-Kolo said that plastics, though widely used, are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment for years.
She called for improved waste management systems, stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, and behavioural change amongst citizens and businesses.
Mr Clem Ugorji, Regional Coordinator of PROTEGO, emphasised on the urgency of action, saying Nigeria’s marine litter crisis carries environmental, economic, and reputational costs.
He expressed optimism that the 2025 to 2040 roadmap endorsed at the workshop would shift the country from prolonged dialogue to concrete implementation.
The  event was organised in collaboration with PROTEGO (Prevention of Marine Litter in the Gulf of Guinea).
Discussions centred on a draft policy input paper titled “Policies, Institutional Set-up and Financing of Marine Litter Prevention in Nigeria,”.
These seeks to present insightful analysis and a set of recommendations to address the structural and financing gaps that have long hindered effective waste management, particularly plastic leakage from inland communities and waterways into the Atlantic Ocean.
The PROTEGO initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and led by adelphi, with implementation in Nigeria by WASTE Africa and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC).
The policy brief is a key delivery for one of the programme’s four impact areas – building capacities of public stakeholders.
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