The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has presented a Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Master Plan to the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah to actualise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the state.
This was even as Governor Mbah restated sustained provision of safe water, dignified sanitation and good hygiene as his government’s priorities, stressing the state government’s preparedness to meet the target of ending open defecation by 2025.
The Chief of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF Nigeria, Dr Jane Bevan, stated this during the presentation of a WASH Master Plan by the international agency to the governor at the Government House, Enugu, on Monday.
Briefing newsmen, Bevan said: “We came here today to present this very preliminary outline master plan for achieving the SDGs by 2030.
“Efforts are made on all the investments, in human resources, in infrastructure and behaviour change as well as the private sector.
“There are so many different elements that will need to come together in order to make water, sanitation, and hygiene happen in the state. But I think the governor has got strong political will and he can make it happen”.
Also speaking, Governor Mbah, while appreciating the support of UNICEF so far, said the administration had since inauguration declared a state of emergency on water provision because of the importance of water to life itself.
He said that with the setting up of the State Economic Planning Commission where the governor and the local government chairmen meet once every month to discuss and chart development plans, it is easy for the local governments to immediately set up and take ownership of WASH projects across the state to ensure that open defecation is ended by 2025.
“Recall that we recognised from the outset, the very importance of water to our lives. We have, from inauguration, embarked on a very aggressive campaign towards water for our city and rural dwellers.
“So, we have the honour of hosting the Chief of WASH, UNICEF Nigeria, who came to present to us, beyond a baseline, a very detailed document, identifying the critical challenges we have in the area of WASH and we have also gone through those areas of challenges.
“In the presentations are also pillars that we need and things we could do to help us achieve certain milestones by the SDG goals and we also have a target to ensure that by 2025, we have an end to open defecation in Enugu State”, Mbah stated.
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