Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu has said that only 20% of hospitals have basic sanitation facilities, adding that this should raise concerns over the poor hygiene situations in the country.
Adamu said this recently at the Inter-Ministerial Dialogue on Sanitation in Abuja, noting that these statistics were abysmally low and Nigerians should show more commitment to change the narrative.
He said the meeting was an opportunity to highlight and maximise the role sanitation and hygiene were playing in preventing and mitigating disease outbreak in the country.
He said that in spite of the health dimension of sanitation improvement, there also exists opportunity to build a circular economy around sanitation businesses.
“Our statistics are abysmally low. Only 20 per cent of health facilities have adequate hygiene facilities. We must, therefore, explore and take maximum advantage of these opportunities.
“As you are aware, responsibility for different aspects of sanitation lies within different ministries, but Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has a cross-cutting impact on other sectors.
“It is, therefore, imperative that we continue to work together to harmonise efforts in addressing the sanitation challenge being faced by Nigeria,” he said.
Adamu said that the Clean Nigerian Campaign had yielded considerable results as Nigeria could now boast of 78 open defecation-free local government areas (LGAs).
He urged the various tiers of government to strengthen collaborative efforts in improving access to sustainable hygiene services, in line with the SDGs and the mantra of `leaving no one behind’.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that managing open defecation and solid waste disposal were among the factors promoting healthy living.
According to him, addressing all public health concerns is a huge battle toward winning the goal of wellness and a healthier environment.
He said that his ministry had made a policy that would ensure that all building contractors adhered to building toilets in all public places.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, said that the ministry bore the greatest burden of all societal ills, as issues of health promotion and disease prevention were its responsibility.
