The Lagos State government has reiterated its support for water sanitation and hygiene projects.
The commitment, given during a capacity building workshop organised by WaterAid/Kimberly to further strengthen the advocacy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), with the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), has brought some issues to the limelight.
Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, David Olusegun Odunmbaku, expressed his readiness to support the WASH project for the betterment of the constituents and posterity.
The workshop was facilitated for a peri-urban and rural LCDA in the state.
Odunmbaku reiterated the efforts of his administration at putting the Health and Hygiene of the citizens at the core of the HEYS (Health, Education, Youth Empowerment and Social Infrastructure) Agenda.
Represented by his Media aide, Akorede Brown, Odunmbaku said since the inception of his administration about a year ago he has carried out the revamping and rehabilitation of the Seven Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) within the LCDA with the provision of 24-hour services and competent health personnel.
He said further that he embarked on the construction of public toilets, provision of prostate cancer/cervical screening, endearing Public-Private Partnership for subventions and capacity building, among others.
The LCDA boss said the WASH advocacy workshop was necessitated by the need to adequately strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders who are responsible for the actualization of the 6th item of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly at the grassroots. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene are the cruxes upon which other SDGs lie.
WaterAid’s Head, Advocacy, Policy and Communications, Mr. Kolawole Banwo, said being one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa, access to life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene services in Nigeria and her emerging urban costal city remains inadequate. This poor access consequently impacts health, productivity, household economy, and the protection of women and girls negatively, he added.
He said the Ojodu and Ikorodu North LCDAs were selected to pilot the Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement (SHIP) project in Lagos State based on their Peri-urban and rural peculiarities respectively. Subsequently, the project would be replicated in other LCDAs/LGs as well as in other states of the federation.
Participants at the workshop were enlightened on the need for sustenance of WASH projects, how to effectively and efficiently harness available resources for productivity. Others are how to influence other key stakeholders for behavioural change and ensure proper communication and information management as facilitated by WaterAid Communications & Media Manager, Oluseyi Abdulmalik, Project Manager, Nanbam Michael, National Chairman WASH Media, Mr. Kola and Mr. Michael Simire.