By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government has launched an aggressive public health campaign across three local government areas of the state to eradicate open defecation and halt recurring cholera outbreaks.
The intensified drive targets Jama’are, Misau, and Tafawa Balewa LGAs and aims to drive behavioural change and eliminate sanitation-related diseases that threaten vulnerable populations.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in the three local government areas funded by the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) project and implemented by WaterAid, the State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, described open defecation as a dangerous, primitive practice contaminating land, air, and water sources.
Dambam highlighted the devastating national scale of the crisis saying that up to 50 million Nigerians still practice open defecation due to poverty, ignorance, and a lack of infrastructure, adding that Sanitation-related infections claim the lives of over 100,000 Nigerian children under five annually.
In the area of Economic Loss, the Commissioner stated that Poor sanitation drains over ₦455 billion from the national economy each year, adding that to combat these trends, the administration of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has established a multi-sectoral State Cholera Steering Committee and a Technical Working Group which will unites key ministries and agencies to improve local sanitation services and stop recurring disease outbreaks.
Speaking on behalf of WaterAid Nigeria, State Task Team Lead, Mashat Mallo called for immediate, long-term stakeholder collaboration to sustain local sanitation campaigns and prevent disease outbreaks.
Mashat warned that severe economic hardships are halting progress and leaving vulnerable communities at immediate risk.
According to him, the SHF project focuses on expanding sanitation facilities in homes and public places, including markets, worship centres and motor parks, while also promoting waste-to-wealth initiatives capable of generating economic opportunities for women and youth
He expressed deep concern over the financial difficulties preventing local households from constructing basic toilets, pointing out that incomplete sanitation coverage remains an active public health crisis.
Also speaking, the Acting Managing Director of Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Bala Zailani, disclosed that 21 communities in Tafawa Balewa had already been certified ODF, while several others were undergoing various stages of verification.
Traditional rulers, including the Emir of Jama’are, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammadu Wabi, the Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Sulaiman, and the Gung Zaar, Marcus Koko Yake, pledged full support toward sustaining improved sanitation practices and ending open defecation across their domains.
The chairmen of Jama’are, Misau and Tafawa Balewa local government councils also assured residents of continued support to ensure the successful implementation of the campaign and eventual attainment of ODF status in their respective areas.
