Amid the ongoing campaign for a clean Nigeria, two Local Government Areas (LGA) in Borno State have made the list of 130 LGAs in Nigeria declared for open defecation free. This was disclosed after the authorities in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other development partners launched the Borno State Open Defecation Free Roadmap and flagged off the campaign for Open Defecation Free in the state. UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, who commended the State Government for its collaboration in the campaign against open defecation, noted that the two LGAs Biu and Shani had already achieved ODF status last year.
She assured the government of UNICEF’s support in ensuring that Borno State becomes open-defecation-free. Governor Babagana Zulum, represented by his Deputy, emphasized the importance of sanitation in improving people’s well-being and called for collective efforts to change the WASH conditions of the people. He urged relevant government agencies to focus on achieving safe water and sanitation options for all households, as well as the implementation of sustainable wash access in schools and public places.
Borno State Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr Tijjani Goni Alkali, stressed the importance of sanitation and clean water as fundamental human rights that should be guaranteed to all citizens. He expressed optimism that by working together, housing defecation will become a thing of the past and individuals will be.