A Bauchi-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) has charged government at all levels to see the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities as citizens’ rights and ensure their accessibility.
A member of the NGO Mr Sukumun Ezekiel gave the charge Friday during the closing ceremony of a two-day workshop organised to identify marginalised and vulnerable groups in Bauchi state on WASH rights awareness organized by NEWSAN with support from WaterAid Nigeria.
According to him, the citizens should demand for those services from elected officials pointing out that world leaders at the United Nations level declared water and sanitation services as rights during the UN Convention of 2010.
He stressed that there is a reaffirmation of water and hygiene as rights of every human being in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 6 adding that the national policy on water resources also states that potable water should be provided to all citizens of Nigeria.
“Providing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities is not a privilege service but a right that must be respected, fulfilled and protected. We have been making efforts to make government and elected officials accountable through citizens engagement. We have implemented the ‘Vote4WASH’ campaign and now we are implementing the ‘I voted for WASH, keep your promise’ campaign,” he stated.
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Sukumun Ezekiel added that “this is an effort to get more people to join the campaign and add their voices to it to ensure that elected officials provide the necessary services which are non-negotiable.”
He said that during electioneering, they distributed pledge cards to candidates to sign asking them to prioritise WASH sectors through funding and implementation and the legislators should speed up the passage of water bills if elected saying the target is that by the year 2030, potable water, sanitation and hygiene facilities would be provided in all schools, health centres and public places in the state.
Also speaking, one of the participants at the workshop and Chairman Kasuwar Waya (Muda Lawal Market) traders and Artisans Association lamented that the abbatoir and fruits sections in the market lack sufficient water thereby making the place unhygienic.
He appealed to the member representing Bauchi Central in the State Assembly and Governor Bala Mohammed who both signed the pledge cards on WASH to come to the aid of the market by providing sufficient water and sanitation facilities there.
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