CSOs Urge Bauchi Govt., Representatives to Prioritise WASH Services
The coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Bauchi State has tasked the state government and elected representatives to prioritise Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in their budget.
They made the call at a news conference to commemorate the 2023 World Toilet Day (WTD), with support from WaterAid Nigeria on Friday in Bauchi.
Mr Jinjiri Garba, the Chairman, the Bauchi State Network of of Civil Society Organisations (BASNEC), said this would ensure the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities in the state.
He also said that collaborative efforts would save citizens from cholera and other diseases related to poor sanitation and hygiene.
He added that “WASH remains a low priority area on many political agenda, and has left several citizens without basic hand washing facilities and sanitation.”
Garba pointed out that a collaborative approach between government, civil society and business is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on sanitation.
He lamented that 21 per cent of the Bauchi State Population still practice open defecation, while 72 per cent of the total number of schools, and 93 per cent of the total number of healthcare facilities lack amenities.
He said “97 per cent of public places do not have access to basic WASH facilities according to WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (NORM) 2021,”
“The state government’s overall goal is to influence, deliver and scale-up WASH solutions that are sustainable, climate-resilient, gender-responsive, as well as address key cross-cutting elements of other development goals, including health, education, poverty, economic growth, and nutrition.”
According to him, WaterAid Nigeria and its partners are working hard toward achieving safer water, decent toilets and Hygiene Behaviour Change Campaigns to achieve an open defecation State by 2025
 in Bauchi State has tasked the state government and elected representatives to prioritise Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in their budget. ){kind=link}