Leadership (Abuja)
4 April 2008
Abuja — United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has challenged the Kebbi State government to meet its target of constructing household latrines and compartments in schools across the state.
The government has set a target to construct 31,480 household latrines, 270 compartments in 45 schools, 189 compartments in 63 health centres and 394 compartments in public places.
The Officer in-Charge, UNICEF, Kaduna 'C' Field Office, Mr Raymomd Akor, gave the challenge at the signing of Programme Implementation Agreement (PIA) between Kebbi government and UNICEF in Birnin Kebbi.
He also urged Governor Sa'idu Dakingari to adopt the International Year of Sanitation as his personal project and ensure that all communities achieve this status during his tenure.
He said that it would be a unique and unparalleled legacy to leave behind for the people. He said this call had become imperative, in view of the fact that only 22 percent of the 3.2million people in the state have access to household latrine.
He identified polio eradication and improved immunisation coverage, through social mobilisation and regular distribution of vaccines, as challenges facing UNICEF.
He called for greater collaboration between UNICEF and other agencies through improved coordination in programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Akor said UNICEF had constructed 91 bore holes in guinea worm endemic communities in the state between 2002 and 2007. He added that 42 blocks of VIP latrines in 21 schools and another 511 household latrines were constructed. UNICEF, he said, would be spending about N150million on various health programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of children and women.
The UNICEF officer commended the 19 Northern governors for organising a Health Summit last November. He urged Kebbi government to implement the resolutions reached at the summit to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals.
In his remarks, acting governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, assured that government would continue to partner with NGOs in uplifting the quality of life of children and women.
He said the government would abide by all agreements reached with UNICEF. (NAN)
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