A network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has called on all tiers of government to strengthen activities toward increasing access to water and sanitation in the country by 2030.
The National Coordinator, of the network known as the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), Mr Leo Atakpu said this at the ongoing capacity building workshop for its members in Abuja on Tuesday.
Atakpu said that it was saddening to note that Nigeria ranked low among countries with poor sanitation and water coverage, noting that with deliberate funding and programmes this trend could be reversed.
“Access to basic sanitation and potable water will go a long way to reduce preventable diseases, deaths and to improve lives,’’ he said.
Atakpu said that the activities of NEWSAN needed to be strengthened to be able to engage government at all levels for the provision of necessary funds for scaling up sanitation in all parts of the country.
He noted that governments’ budgets at all levels had little or nothing for sanitation, adding that with the recently inaugurated Partnership for Extended Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programme, there was hope that it would affect lives positively.
He however, called on state chapters to engage private individuals on taking ownership of funding for water and sanitation, saying all hands must be on deck to reduce open defecation in the country.
Ms. Priscilla Achakpa, the National Coordinator, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) Nigeria, urged participants to be selfless in their activities.
Achakpa said that there was need for sustained efforts in engaging state and non-state actors in scaling up Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the country.
She further urged the Federal Government to carry CSOs working on water and sanitation along in all policies and programmes, adding that they would hold governments accountable toward meeting the number six of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6).
The Programme Manager, United Purpose, an NGO, Mr Nanpet Chuktu, said that Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) programme was doing everything to scale up sanitation in Benue and Cross River states.
Chuktu, represented by Mr Tom Terkimbi, State Technical Officer, Benue, said that the nonpayment of counterpart funds was still a challenge to meeting the country’s target.
He said that the programme was raising awareness on encouraging communities to change behaviours by owning and using their toilets applying the Community Led Total Sanitation approach.
The WASH ambassador, Ms Ebele Okeke reiterated that advocacy would continue toward ensuring that the three tiers of government made water, sanitation and hygiene a priority.
Okeke, who commended participants on their activities in scaling up water and sanitation, also called for strengthened partnership in meeting the SDG targets.