Professor Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, announced that the National Task Group on Sanitation has declared eight additional Local Government Areas Open Defecation Free.
Utsev, who made the announcement in a press statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Funmi Imuetinyan, on Thursday, noted that the achievement marks a critical step forward in Nigeria’s efforts to achieve the national ODF target.
“Nigeria’s commitment to becoming ODF by 2030 has received a significant boost with the recent declaration of eight additional LGAs as ODF across two states of Kano and Kebbi,” he said.
Professor Joseph Utsev announced that the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), a collaborative platform comprising stakeholders from various ministries, government agencies, development partners, non-governmental organizations, and the media, validated and declared eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) as Open Defecation Free (ODF) during their monthly meeting in Abuja on Wednesday .
“The newly declared ODF LGAs are Kiru, Bagwai, Dawakin Tofa, Gaya, Shanono, Gabasawa, Ungogo (Kano state); and Shanga (Kebbi state),” he stated.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation announced that 134 Local Government Areas (LGAs) are now Open Defecation Free (ODF), following the addition of eight more.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Ishaq Salako, highlighted persisting challenges, including 48 million Nigerians practicing open defecation and 159 million lacking access to handwashing facilities.
To address this, the Federal Government aims to build one million public toilets across the six geopolitical zones.
Despite these challenges, the ODF progress demonstrates ongoing efforts to improve public health, sanitation, and environmental sustainability nationwide.
