In a bid to tackle the rapid spread of Cholera across the country, causing high morbidity and mortality, the federal government has commenced measures to combat the epidemic by tackling the root causes, including open defecation.

The Vice President Kashim Shettima who made the disclosure yesterday (Thursday) when he inaugurated the Steering Committee for the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” Campaign, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, noted the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end open defecation by 2025.

He stated that ending open defecation can be achieved by mobilising strategic stakeholders and leveraging technology as well as deploying innovative and sustainable solutions to boost the nation’s sanitation landscape.

Our correspondent, Raliat Adenekan reports that, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, recalled that in the bid to tackle the Cholera epidemic, which he said is ravaging the country in 33 states, with 2,000 cases and 63 deaths, said providing infrastructure for quality water and reducing open defecation can reduce this disease, adding that a multisectoral approach is required in this regard.

Presenting the report on ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign’, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev,  said the report covers both challenges and successes since its establishment in 2016 and was inaugurated and signed into law in 2019 and that this present administration is working tirelessly to see that it is revived.

Read another recent post here: https://classic97.net/vp-shettima-says-executive-order-003-is-still-in-effect/