Group Partners Govt To Attain ODF

The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) says it will intensify its collaboration with the various tiers of government for attainment of the Open Defecation Free (ODF) before 2025.
The National Coordinator of NEWSAN Mr Benson Attah, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Attah was reacting to the recent exit by India as the number one country with the highest people practising open defecation in the world.
Our correspondent reports that India through its Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign on October 2, announced that it was free from practicing open defecation.
This announcement makes Nigeria number one in the world with highest number of people practicing open defecation.
“The implication of Nigeria as number one with the highest number of people practicing open defecation means Nigeria is occupying the first position and this is a very bad situation.
“We are collaborating with the federal and state governments in various phases as it concern Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to ensure that the issue of open defecation becomes a thing of the past in this country.
“I must say that with all the efforts that we are putting in place, I am sure Nigeria will get out of this open defecation earlier than 2025.
“NEWSAN is also doing all that is possible so that the country attains open defecation free; that is why we have come up with a strategy that will work for the states and the local government levels in the attainment of this.
“We are already working on WASH implementation in the states to drive the successful conclusion of ODF in those states that already have interventions,” he said.
He said that NEWSAN was also making efforts to ensure that the states yet to get intervention on sanitation did that “and we will start afresh with them and guide them toward achieving ODF in their communities, local government and states.’’
The NEWSAN’s National Coordinator, while reacting on plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to issue an Executive Order to all federal agencies to key into sanitation, said it was a welcome development.
He also warned that it was one thing to issue a presidential order and another was whether states would comply with that order.
“We also want the presidency to go a step further by putting an incentive in place or a sanction otherwise people may not respect it,” he said.