By Amina Rabiu Bako
In commemoration of World Toilet Day, the Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has attributed the persistent re-occurrence of annual cholera outbreaks in some states of Nigeria to inadequate Toilet Facilities.
The Minister stated this during a one-day sensitization exercise to celebrate the annual World Toilet Day, held at the Coronation Hall Government House Kano.
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Represented by Haliya Bahijja Abubakar, the Minister added that the negligence of people in poor excreta and sewage disposal causes killer diseases among women and children.
He said: “One of the major consequences of poor excreta and sewage disposal is the high rate of Diarrhea disease, which is the second cause of high maternal mortality and child morbidity d rates among children under the age of five.”
AgroClimateNews reports that the minister urged environmental health officers and sanitary inspectors to enhance sanitary inspections to ensure universal access to safe toilets.
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In his remarks, the Kano State Governor, Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf said that the state government was working round the clock by renovating public toilets in markets, schools, and motor parks with a view to ending open defecation in the station.
The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf said, so far 26 Local Government Areas have been declared Open Defecation free in Kano State.
He called for continued community engagement and individual responsibility in maintaining a clean environment and supporting Kano State’s sanitation policies.
On his part, the Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Nasir Sule Garo, emphasized the significance of commemorating this year’s annual event in Kano State.
He said: “For the first time, this program is being hosted outside the capital territory, and Kano is chosen because if Kano wins, the entire Nigeria wins. Kano holds the key to free open defecation in Nigeria.”
Twenty-six Local Governments in the state were recognized for achieving open-defecation-free status and promoting public health.
This year’s event is themed: “Toilet – A Place for Peace.”
