Environment
THE government of Niger says it will put in place measures to remove the state from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 as one of the worst state practising open defecation.
Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello of the state said this at the sensitisation and dissemination of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 organised by the Niger State Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Minna on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MICS 2021 report shows that more than 40 per cent of residents of Niger state were practising open defecation.
NAN reports that MICS was carried out in 2021 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as part of the Global MICS Programme with support from UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Bello, represented by Alhaji Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the Government of Niger state, expressed concern that the state was also not doing well in areas such as enrollment of out of girls in school, nutrition, maternal and child’s mortality.
He said that the state government had established Small Town Water Supply Agency to improve access quality water supply in major urban areas to change the state position from the 2021 MICS report as the third worst state practising open defecation.
“With improve water supply especially in major towns and rural areas people will have access to hygienic water supply systems and maintain sanitation, there is need to sensitise people that very government structure must have VIP toilet attached, especially in schools.
He, however, urged Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to bring policies and programmes options to improve the state position for better results based on the MICS report, pledging government full support.
In his welcome address, the Niger Commissioner and Deputy Chairman Ministry of Planning Commission, Alhaji Zakari Abubakar, said that the event was to brief the state on data regarding women, children and households in the state as data was key to planning and policy development.
In his remarks, Donald Burgess, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, lauded the state making progress in some areas such as Penta 3 vaccination coverage, maternal and child mortality.
“The Penta 3 vaccination coverage rose from 20 per cent in 2016 to 39.4 per cent, maternal and child mortality has reduced far below national average child mortality,” he said.
Burgess, represented by Mr Idris Baba, Health Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, expressed concern over the declined in enrollment of girls in Niger state which was at 42 per cent against 39 per cent of boys.
He added that there was literacy declined in children and low birth registration and called on Niger government to invest in critical areas such as education and health, adding that UNICEF would continue to support the state in girl education and health.(NAN)
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Tags: Abubakar Sani-Bello Idris Baba Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey UNICEF
