The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Sokoto Field Office incollaboration with the governments of Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states has organised a media dialogue to commemorate the 2021 World Toilet Day in Sokoto with the theme “Valuing Toilets”.
The meeting aimed at engaging the media and key stakeholders in government from the three states, is to discuss sanitation gap, the inherent crises and consequences from different stakeholders.
The meeting also require actions from stakeholders over the next one year and the role of the media in awareness on the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene in the society.
Speaking on the meeting, the UNICEF Chief of field office for Kano and Sokoto, Maulid Warfa, stressed the importance of proper hygiene and sanitation in the society noting that, if emphasises was given to providing good hygiene, Sixty to Seventy percent of public health issues would be solved.
Warfa assured that, UNICEF would not relent until all communities, local government areas and states was open defecation free in Nigeria.
He said, if emphasises were giving on improved sanitation by stakeholders, diseases such as diahrea and other communicable diseases would be solved.
According to him, twenty five percent of the population in the North West zone have access to sanitation while thirty eight percent have access to good hygiene.
In their separate goodwill messages, representatives of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara State Governments, while commending UNICEF for organising the meeting, assured to continue providing good sanitation and hygiene to the society to prevent health hazards.
They solicited for the media to emphasize on awareness and educating the public on the importance of proper hygiene and avoiding open defecation
Radio Nigeria correspondent who was part of the meeting, reports that, media and government representatives from the states of Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara were in attendance.
Abdullahi Tukur