FG Declares Dass First LGA in Northern Nigeria to Attain Status of Open Defecation Free

Thefederal government has declared Dass as the first Local Government Area in the northern part of the country to attain the status of Open Defecation Free (ODF).

Making the declaration in Dass, headquarters of the council area of Bauchi State last Monday , the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said with this feat, Dass is now the second LGA after Obaniku in Cross Rivers state to attain the ODF status.

Presenting the ODF certificate to Dass through the state government, the minister explained the Obaniku in Cross Rivers state was the first, and Dass in Bauchi state is the second in the country to attain the ODF status.

“Today, I’m excited that Dass LGA has come on board as the first LGA in Northern to be ODF and the second in the country”, he said.

Engr. Suleiman Adamu said that with the high priority his ministry placed on water, sanitation and hygiene and the support of development partners, the country has moved close to achieving ODF by 2025, five years ahead of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 2030.

Adamu congratulated the people of Dass LGA and Bauchi state for the land achievement, as well as UNICEF and UK Aid for supporting the implementation of Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) under which this project is recorded.

The Minister stated that Nigeria was reported to be the country with highest number of people practicing open defecation in Africa, estimated at over 46 million people and more than two-third of the population without access to basic sanitation facilities.

“The Federal Ministry of Water Resources is committed to pursuing the collaborative efforts required in addressing the issue with the development of a strategic document call ‘Making Nigeria Open Defecation Free by 2025’ which is also call a ‘National Road Map’.

He recalled that the road map was launched last year and supported by various states, as it also launched the partnership and extended water, sanitation and hygiene programme designed as national collaborative instrument  for the improvement of access to water and sanitation in rural areas drawing from the ODF road map.