•Unveils ‘Clean Nigeria’
According to UNICEF, more than 4.2 billion people globally live without safely managed sanitation options, while over 1 billion people still defecate in the open. In Nigeria, an estimated 47 million people practice open defecation.
In commemoration of the 2019 World Toilet Day and as part of efforts towards achieving the national target of ending open defecation in the country by 2025, Harpic, Nigeria’s No. 1 toilet cleaning brand from Reckitt Benckiser (RB), one of the market leaders in health, hygiene and home care products, this year has partnered the Federal Government for the national launch and flag-off of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign.
The 2019 World Toilet Day with the theme ‘Toilets for All’ – leaving no one behind, is in line with current global efforts towards achieving universal access to sanitation, whereby toilets are available for all. This is to help reduce open defecation whilst promoting better hygiene practices in the prevention of diseases such as diarrhoea and toilet infections, especially in women and children.
At the media briefing which was held immediately after a sensitization walk around the FCT Abuja to sensitize the residents on the need for proper toilet practices, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Sulaimon Adamu while appreciating the stakeholders for their support said, “The campaign is aimed at mobilizing high level support and resources towards building a new culture of safe defecation.”
The minister expressed concern as Nigeria lags behind other nations in terms of proper hygiene with about 47 million citizens without direct access to toilets. He also revealed that according to the statistics by World Health Organization (WHO), today, over 100,000 children die every year through poor sanitation and unsafe water caused by diarrhoea.
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In addition, a large number of women and children are exposed to a high risk of contracting infections due to lack of access to proper sanitation which impacts on health, dignity, and safety. The minister therefore said the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign is aimed towards advancing the populace towards a new culture of safe defecation in the country.
Speaking on the role and support of the private sector towards ending open defecation in Nigeria, Mr. Asif Hashimi, General Manager, RB Hygiene & Home West Africa West Africa, relayed that the provision of needed basic amenities is crucial in supporting the federal government’s plans towards ending open defecation.
According to him, “There is a need to construct public toilets and support public awareness campaigns towards behavioral change, so that people start rejecting open defecation as a norm.”
Emphasising on the commitment of Harpic towards the cause, the marketing director said, “Harpic, one of RB’s most notable brands has consistently put on its front burner the importance of having access to clean toilets.
THISDAY