Uncategorized

Only 15.7% of schools have basic water supply, sanitation services— Expert

Published

6 years ago

August 7, 2019

Acting Programme Manager, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) Mr Eyo Offiong, has said that only 15.7 per cent of schools in Nigeria has basic water and sanitation services.

Offiong was speaking at a Two-Day Media Dialogue on ” Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilets” in Calabar on Wednesday.

He said that the percentage signified low Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the educational sector.

He called for an increase in the number of WASH facilities across the educational sector in the country.

According to him, there was need for adequate water and sanitation facilities in schools to aid teaching outcomes.

” The 15.7 per cent of schools in Nigeria with basic facilities is a national outlook, it is a national average.

” It is for government to ensure the political will and commitment to provide water in schools as well as basic sanitation facilities to expand beyond the communities or local government where the donor partners are involved in.

” It is for government to commit funds into ensuring that this happens. The good thing about the statistics is that it brings clearly what needs to be done and how it can be done.

” So far, in Cross River state, the government has also declared emergency in the wash sector last year.

“The government has gone further to drill over 200 solar powered bore hole in the past six months and the process of completion is ongoing.”

Offiong added that the Governor Ben Ayade had also committed to providing 3 million dollars annually for the next five years to make the state an Open Defecation Free state.

” Going by the statements of the governor, the state is ready and willing to move ahead to ensure we become open defecation free state and also to drive the state in education and health.”

The acting manager also noted that to drive the initiative, six Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the states had been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) which is the highest in the country.

He highlighted the LGAs declared ODF as Obanliku, Bekwara, Yala, Ikom, Boki and Yakurr.

He added that the state had provided 20,367 new household laterines under the Water Supply and Sanitation collaboration Council Programme ( WSSSRP) while 4,088 volunteer hygiene promotrs were trained on hygiene practices.

Meanwhile, Mr Bioye Ogunjobi, WASH Specialist, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), disclosed that Nigeria now have 13 Local Government certified Open defecation areas(ODF).

He added that Jigawa and Bauchi state had over 3,000 communities certified ODF.

Also, Mrs Yemisi Akpa Chief Scientific Officer, Federal Ministry of Water Resources said the achievement of the 13 ODF Local Government Areas in the country was not enough as more needed to be done to ensure good hygiene practice by 2025.

Akpa noted that to achieve ODF by 2025, there was also the need to provide an average of 100 household laterines annually in all the 774 LGAs

She urged Nigeria government to constitute technical working group to operationalise the National Roadmap towards ODF.

She, therefore, called on Cross River government to be more committed through funding to deliver the remaining 12 LGAs yet to be declared ODF.

Share on Facebook

Uncategorized

CLTC DG Reaffirms FG’s Dedication to Nurturing Innovative, Productive Nigerian Youth

Published

1 week ago

September 29, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), Ms. Rinsola Abiola, has reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to raising young Nigerians who are productive, innovative, and imbued with patriotism, service, and integrity.

She gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja in her goodwill message at the ongoing two-day Retreat on Presidential Priorities and Deliverables — 2025 Mid-Term Review, where she also commended the Ministry of Youth Development, led by Hon. Ayodele Olawande, for championing youth-focused initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to Abiola, the retreat provides a unique opportunity to review and realign efforts to ensure that government policies and programmes translate into measurable impact in the lives of Nigerian youths.

“This retreat is both timely and strategic. It provides a platform to collectively review, align, and sharpen our focus on the priorities of Mr. President. More importantly, it allows us to deepen collaboration within the youth development sector to ensure that government policies deliver real change to our young people,” she said.

Highlighting the Centre’s achievements, Abiola disclosed that over 6,000 youths have been trained in value orientation and re-orientation in the just-concluded half-year period. She emphasized that the CLTC, with its long history of building citizenship values, leadership capacity, discipline, and volunteerism, remains steadfast in supporting the Ministry’s mandate and national priorities.

“We see ourselves as partners in this great task of nation-building. Our goal is to raise young Nigerians who are not only productive and innovative but also committed to the spirit of service, patriotism, and integrity,” she added.

Abiola urged stakeholders and participants at the retreat to bring forward actionable strategies that would strengthen coordination, eliminate bottlenecks, and accelerate delivery on presidential mandates.

She concluded by reaffirming CLTC’s readiness to collaborate with the Ministry and other agencies to advance youth development across Nigeria.

Share on Facebook