22 October 2008
Lagos — More than N198 million has been released for the implementation of International Year of sanitation (IYS) activities in 33 states of the federation for this year.
Mr. Bisi Agberemi, UNICEF Water and Sanitation (WASH) activities specialist disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja last Sunday.
IYS targets include developing enabling environment to expand sanitation programmes, build one million latrine in 2008 and conducting hand washing campaigns.
Agberemi said the states to benefit are abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Ekiti, Edo, Oyo, Osun and Ogun states.
Others are Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Kwara, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Bauchi, Jigawa States and the FCT.
Agberemi said 26 states had endorsed the IYS Action plan and were implementing the activities.
According to him, two million people have benefited from both national and sub-national campaigns in those states.
At the national level, he said, Hand Washing campaign had been launched by the first Lady, Hajia Turai Yar' Adua and similar campaign had been conducted in 16 states and various Local Government Areas.
We had campaigned in 23 states last year, the campaign is on-going and stakeholders have been working together to create awareness on hygiene and sanitation," he said.
He said there was no record yet on the number of toilets that had been constructed, saying "Construction of latrines is on-going in at least 26 states in the country.
The UNICEF specialist urged Nigerians to take the message of IYS serious adding that the effort should not be left to UNICEF or the media.
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