The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has on Monday sensitised some members of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Rindibim, Bauchi on the effects associated with open defecation.
The Ministry also donated detergents, toiletries and sanitary pads to the hundreds of women IDPs, a gesture it says will help improve personal hygiene and cleanliness among them.
The Director, Social Development of the Ministry Alhaji Mansur Kuliya who partook at the sensitization exercise in Rindibim IPD Camp in Bauchi said that the awareness campaign tagged ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the toilet campaign is aimed at ending open defecation in the country by 2025.
Kuliya said that the practice of open defecation is common in many communities due to the lack of sanitation facilities. It has been abundantly established that open defecation has a negative impact on the health, education outcomes as well as socioeconomic life of the populace especially women and children.
He added that in order to address this ugly situation, the clean Nigeria toilet campaign was launched by Mr President in 2019, “The Clean Nigeria campaign is a national transformative initiative to mobilize the entire nation towards imbibing the culture of safe and sustainable sanitation especially as we look forward to our 2025 target date. This campaign is backed by a Presidential Order 009 to give effects to the implementation.”
The director opined that the ministry has developed a work plan towards ensuring that all the IDPs camps in the country are open defecation free on or before 2025, “Part of the work plan includes the provision of the borehole, toilets, sensitization workshop among others. A committee would soon collaborate with relevant government agencies to commence the construction of the facilities.”
The Leader of Rindibim IPD Camp Malam Bulama Gujja thanked the ministry for the gesture, assuring that they will intensify the awareness campaign on personal and environmental hygiene among the IDPs to complement government efforts.
