TheCable

Suleiman Adamu, minister of water resources, says the government is working towards making the federal capital territory (FCT) an open defecation-free model for other states.

According to NAN, Adamu said the approach, in collaboration with Clean Nigeria Campaign, will help to strengthen the current improvement achieved in tackling open defecation in the country.

He said the FCT government has provided 80 locations for the building of public toilets, adding that work is ongoing at the Kuje area council to achieve open defecation-free before the end of 2022.

“In the FCT, the FCT administration has just given us about 80 locations for people to build public toilets so that we start with the FCT, and then the Clean Nigeria Campaign also, we have taken a position that we are going to put a lot of support on FCT,” Adamu said.

“I think we are now working on Kuje area council, hopefully, we will get it open defecation free, before the end of the year, I hope. So we are going to make the FCT as a model for the rest of the country, that is our new approach now.

“We have also had a lot of engagement with ALGON, we have the National Orientation Agency, a lot is going on, and I hope before the end of the year, we will begin to see something.

“Regarding open defecation at least in the FCT, very soon, it’s going to be a thing of the past, because it is private sector-driven and the FCT has given the land, people will build the toilets themselves and they will charge the fee for people to use it for whatever; shower, and the rest of it.”

The minister called on the governments at all levels to invest in sanitation and show political will to help Nigeria achieve open defecation-free by 2025.