The government of Jigawa State has spent a total of N500 million on constructing improved latrines in various public places including schools, hospitals, markets, and motor parks. The Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Ibrahim Hannungiwa, announced this on Wednesday in Dutse. He added that the government had taken proactive measures to ensure that the state remains Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025, surpassing the nation’s ODF target.
Hannungiwa stated that the state government had worked collaboratively with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the United Nations Children’s Fund to achieve this feat. Furthermore, a committee had been set up to ensure the sustainability of the ODF status and to eradicate open defecation by providing more standard public conveniences in public places and along highways.
The government of Jigawa State had invested a lot in public enlightenment programs aimed at educating rural communities on the importance of using toilets. It had been declared the first state in Nigeria to be ODF by UNICEF. Hannungiwa also added that the UN Agency had appointed the state governor, Umar Namadi, as ODF ambassador, and he is expected to present a paper on the Nigerian situation in the fight against ODF at a conference in Canada.