Misbahu Bashir
20 March 2008
Abuja — The Federal Government has expressed willingness to support the construction of one million latrines throughout the country.
In his welcome address at the celebration of the 2008 World Water Day, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma, said the ministry will collaborate with other relevant agencies in the sanitation sub-sector to attain the International Year of Sanitation targets which include hand washing campaign as well as building one million latrines.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Professor Oladapo Afolabi, he said the essence was to improve sanitation and reduce the spread water borne diseases to the minimum.
The minister further stressed that the ministry would improve partnership with donor agencies in Nigeria to improve systems for the control of water borne diseases that undermine health care, raise cost and burden girls and women.
Earlier, the United Nations Children's' Fund (UNICEF), Deputy Representative, Lima R. Said, said that improving excreta disposal can decrease diarrhoea rates by 35 percent and hand washing with soap at critical times can decrease diarrhoea by 47 percent .
The Water Aid Country Representative in Nigeria, Jonathan Burton, said millions of Nigerians, particularly in the rural areas, do not have toilets.
He noted that the dangers of improper disposal of excreta increase chances of water contamination.
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