UNICEF

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

Recently, during the World Toilet Day celebration, seven Local Government Areas in Kano were declared Open defecation-free (ODF). The Local Government Areas declared ODF  in Kano include:  Kiru, Bagwai, Dawakin Tofa, Gaya, Shanono, Gabasawa, and Ungogo.

Determined to ensure that these communities are practising what was declared on paper at Government House, Kano, during World Toilet Day, our Correspondent paid a visit to Bagwai town, located in the Kano North Senatorial district.

Bagawai,  an agrarian community, has an area of 405 km2 and had a population of 162,847 in the 2006 census. The third biggest dam in Kano State Watari Dam is located in Bagwai. Bagwai Local Government Area is known for its agricultural activities, including the cultivation of crops such as maize, millet, rice, and vegetables. The community values are influenced by traditional customs and Islamic traditions.

Visits to some schools, markets and places of worship indicated that, indeed, the people of Bagwai have cultivated the habit of defecating in the toilets as shown by the presence of standard public toilets in most of the public places visited.

Hajiya Binta Auwalu, a peasant farmer told our Correspondent that the awareness campaign sponsored by officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) helped in sensitizing residents on the need to defecate inside the toilets. According to her, even in the farms, pit toilets are constructed through community services as part of measures to avoid defecating in the open places which attracts diseases to the growing crops.

“We remain grateful to UNICEF officials who took the time to educate us on reasons why we should stop defecating in the open space. We were told of many dangers of defecating openly around our households and on the farms. We were educated on the health hazards. Before this time, we never knew that defecating in the open space has serious health implications until UNICEF officials launched a serious campaign against it across the nooks and crannies of our communities,” said Hajiya Binta.

Alhaji Isah Abdullahi, a community leader in Bagwai, confirmed what Hajiya Binta told our Correspondent, adding that UNICEF’s Open Defecation Free campaign coupled with the concerted efforts of the local authorities gave residents enough reason to desist from defecating in the open places. He hailed UNICEF and the Local Government authorities for providing public toilets in designated places which he said did a lot in discouraging residents from defecating in the open places, “we were also told of the health and hygiene implications. If you go to our farmlands, hardly can you see people defecating in the open places. Inside the farms, we have pit toilets in designated places and people have been sternly warned against defecating in the open places. Our people are well-sensitized, and I must tell you that open defecation has become a history here in Bagwai,” he added.

Indeed, the Open Defecation Free (ODF)  initiative aims to prevent disease spread, reduce water source contamination, and promote the overall well-being of the people. UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene  (WASH) Officer, Stella Ifeoma-Terver hinted that Kano State’s progress, with a two per cent (2%) open defecation rate and eight local governments achieving open defecation-free status this year is a success story.

UNICEF has continued to partner with journalists, government officials and other relevant stakeholders to end open defecation and eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Kano, and Nigeria, at large. The NTDs, which are caused by bacterial infections, should not be overlooked. The proper defecation practices could help prevent such diseases.

Open defecation is a sanitation and hygiene-related issue and a significant contributor to the spread of NTDs. Diseases like onchocerciasis, Schistosomiasis, Trachoma, Lymphatic Filariasis, and transmitted Helminthiasis(STH), among others,  are transmitted through contaminated soil and faeces, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, malnutrition, and ill health. By addressing Open Defecation, the transmission of NTDs can significantly be reduced. Improved sanitation and hygiene practices can break the cycle of infection, protecting vulnerable populations, especially children and women.

In Kano, going by the  UNICEF  data, only two per cent of people in the state are still practising open defecation as the state achieved a milestone in ending the unhygienic practice across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

The Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, Mr Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, made this known during the commemoration of the 2024 World Toilet Day themed: “Toilet —A place for peace.” Represented by the Officer-in-Charge, and Senior Education Manager, UNICEF, Mr. Michael Banda, Rahama said the occasion was a moment to appreciate and celebrate the Kano State Government and its partners’ collective efforts to end open defecation in the state.

He said: “UNICEF congratulates the Government and people of Kano State on achieving open defecation-free status for eight of its LGAs in 2024. This has brought to 26, the total number of LGAs in Kano State that have ended open defecation. UNICEF is pleased to have partnered with the Kano State Government to achieve this milestone. This is a momentous achievement, but the job is not done just yet. Kano State Government, LGAs, communities and all stakeholders must sustain the momentum to ensure that the remaining 18 LGAs that have yet to eradicate open defecation take urgent action to do so, and thereby contribute to the goal of making Kano State and indeed Nigeria open defecation free by 2025.

“Kano has made progress with the construction and use of toilets in the eight LGAs which we are celebrating today. However, the remaining 18 LGAs yet to end open defecation include the bulk of urban LGAs in Kano, and we need to act and do more to get these LGAs to achieve this lofty goal as well. UNICEF appreciates the Kano state Government for organizing this special event to honour the eight LGAs that have eliminated open defecation and urges your Excellency to sustain commitment until all the LGAs in Kano state become open defecation-free. With the support of your Excellency, Kano Dtate can achieve this goal in 2025. According to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping Report 2021 (WASHNORM 2021), only 2% of people in the state still practice open defecation, this looks small but when juxtaposed against the population of Kano, it becomes large. Therefore, concerted efforts with genuine commitments need to be put in place to address this problem.”

According to him, achievements in sanitation are not limited to Sustainable Development Goal 6 but have far-reaching results in all other goals and most especially SDGs 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 which can be achieved through the implementation of Community Approaches to Total Sanitation Concept which not only promotes inclusiveness, equality and active participation across all community segments but also promotes gender mainstreaming, empowerment, and skills for decision making in community issues.