The Ministry of Water Resources, has urged all the ministries, agencies and other relevant organisations to collaborate effectively to achieve access to sustainable Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) services by 2030
Mr Suleiman Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources made the call on Tuesday at the Inter-Ministerial Dialogue on Sanitation with some ministers in Abuja.
Adamu said that the collaboration would provide access to sustainable and safety WASH services by 2030, adding that by 2025 open defecation would as well end.
“Riding on the strong political leadership demonstrated by the President and the Vice President, we on our part should not rest on our oars.
“Until we achieve success and take Nigeria out of this unfortunate position, we should not rest.
“This is in line with the National Action Plan for the revitalisation of the WASH sector launched by the President in November 2018, with the declaration of a state of emergency in the sector.
“We must ensure that every Nigerian has access to sustainably and safety manage WASH services by 2030 in line with SDG 6.1 and 6.2 and end open defecation by 2025.
“Our different ministries have a role to play in the sanitation business across our different sectors and it is when we complement each other`s efforts that the country can make good progress towards achieving SDGs.
“We must therefore strengthen coordination within and across our ministries to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure targeted and judicious use of resources.
“My ministry is committed to engaging with you all to find areas of collaboration as we strive towards ensuring that all Nigerians have access to basic facilities and live in a healthy environment.
“I believe that we will have a fruitful deliberation in this regard,’’ he said.
Adamu said that the inter-ministerial dialogue was instituted in 2017 to hold biannually with the aim of fostering coordination and collaboration among line ministries on sanitation and hygiene issues.
He said that Nigeria was the global leader among countries with the highest number of people practicing open defecation with an estimated 47 million people indulging in the act.
He said that India, which was leading in the open defecation was able to exit the ladder through its Swachh Bharat Mission, which modeled political commitment, public funding, partnership and people`s participation as its success mantra.
Responding, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Pauline Tallen, assured that the ministry was committed to working with the other ministries to enable it achieve the mandates.
Tallen commended the minister on its efforts to ensure that Nigeria was free from open defecation as well as having access to WASH services across the country.
She encouraged other ministries to support the water ministry to ensure it achieved the goal.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ministers that attended the dialogue were Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Abubakar and his state minister, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor.
Others were State Minister for Works and Housing, Aliyu Abubakar, State Minister for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and directors from various ministries. (NAN)
