Health
THE Clean Nigeria Campaign (CNC) Secretariat is partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to sustain awareness to end open defecation practice in the country.
Mrs Chizoma Opara, National Coordinator of the Campaign Secretariat, said this at the sidelines of the National Task Group on Sanitation meeting in Abuja.
She said the role which young people play in programme implementation is critical, saying the partnership would help sustain current efforts for change.
“We are discussing with the Federal Ministry of Youths and the NYSC to use young people as agents of change, there are examples of young people doing great things to support the CNC secretariat.
“One is David Alaba, an international footballer doing great to support Ogun State in its ending open defecation activities.
“His support has seen donation of funds in building modern toilet facilities to curb open defecation and also aimed at sustainable job creation in his state,’’ she said.
Opara said states had a huge role to play in scaling up sanitation and hygiene, saying with major efforts from development partners, the country would record more open defecation-free LGAs.
Dr Yemisi Akpa, a representative from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, spoke about the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF), which would be implemented in three states of Bauchi, Jigawa and Ogun.
According to her, the SHF is a United Nations fund that takes development financing ideas and applies them to countries with the highest need for national sanitation outcomes.
She said benefitting states had met all criteria on pre-financing application, which was submitted to SHF few months ago.
“All conditions have been met for benefiting states, we are just waiting for UN Office for Project Services to finalise all grey areas and the programme commences,’’ she added. (NAN)
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Tags: CNC David Alaba NYSC
