Environment
WASH Laments Incessant Outbreak Of Cholera
The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Working Group has expressed concern over the incessant outbreak of Cholera in parts of the country.
The group conveyed the concern in Abuja at a meeting organised to assess WASH Emergency Response plans.
Mr Ibiyemi Olu-Daniels, who gave an update on cholera situation, said that the group had received reports of outbreak of suspected and confirmed cases of cholera with some deaths.
“In Bauchi State, 84 cases were reported last week and seven cases were also reported yesterday (Tuesday), while Adamawa has reported no fewer than 1,637 suspected cases.
“Twenty-six cholera deaths have been reported in Adamawa State: 14 in Mubi North Local Government Area (LGA) and 12 in Mubi South LGA,” Olu-Daniels said.
Also speaking, Mr Noor Bakhsh, a WASH Specialist in Emergency Response, underscored the need to close the funding gap in emergency interventions in the North East geo-political zone, saying it still stood at 84 per cent.
He noted that the gap would hinder response activities, especially interventions in the provision of water supply and sanitation facilities.
He also stressed that proper emphasis should be placed on the operation and maintenance of water systems.
Bakhsh said it was worrisome that only 16 per cent of funding requirements was available, adding that about 48.7 million U.S. dollars would be required to finance humanitarian response activities in the North East in 2018.
“This administration should continue in its efforts to arrest the incidences of water-borne diseases, especially cholera, and this is what the WASH sector partners are doing through the humanitarian response plan.
“The critical needs of water are still there, a lot of funding is needed; it is saddening that only 16 per cent of the needed funding has been received so far. So, we need to change the narratives,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to start the implementation of its response plan, while commending the government for drilling eight boreholes in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno.
Bakhsh said that the group’s collaboration with Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency had been quite beneficial, adding, however, that there was a need to initiate deliberate strategies to halt the spread of preventable diseases.
He also spoke on the Cholera Hotspot mapping, which was carried out by the WHO, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, in the last five years.
He said that the report showed that Nigeria had the highest incidence of cholera cases in West Africa, with 14 states likely to have reoccurring episodes.
He listed the states as Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kebbi, Kwara and Benue.
Bakhsh stressed that the data showed the likelihood of witnessing more cholera outbreaks, following the frequency of disease occurrence in high, low and moderate ranges.
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.
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.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.
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