ABUJA – The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Istifanus Musa, has reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to promote hygiene and hand washing culture among Nigerians.
Musa said this at an event to commemorate the 2015 Global Hand Washing Day in Abuja yesterday.
Musa, who was represented by the Director, Research and Statistics, Adamu Wakil, said this commitment was needed to reduce the rate of preventable deaths.
He said the campaign was necessary to reduce childhood mortality rates related to respiratory and diarrhoea related diseases, through behavioural change of hand wash with soap.
Musa said it was a common knowledge that human faeces cause diarrhoea, saying sanitation, basic hygiene practices through hand washing provides protection against faecal contact and stops transmission of such diseases.
He said diarrhoea, which is a child killer disease in Nigeria, is second to malaria, adding that effective hand washing practice with soap at critical times was an assurance for the reduction of such incidences.
He said the commemoration of the day was aimed at motivating children to embrace and share proper hand washing practices, saying it also places them at the heart of national and local initiatives.
The permanent secretary said the ministry was partnering with its Health, Women Affairs and Environment counterparts to promote hand washing and sanitation in Nigeria.
He emphasised the importance of behavioural change as a critical way to promote sanitation and hygiene, adding that this would reduce loss of man-hours to illnesses and deaths.
Musa, however, commended development partners and other stakeholders for their supports, saying that this would significantly improve health and reduce disease burden in the country.
Mrs Ebele Okeke, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Ambassador, said 124,000 children died from poor sanitation and hygiene annually in Nigeria, saying hand washing is a basic prevention practice to stop such diseases.
She said every dollar invested in sanitation and hygiene promotion has a ripple effect to gain seven dollars.
According to her, efforts must be geared by all stakeholders to put measures in place to reduce preventable deaths, especially in under-five children.
Mr Kanaan Nadar, Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, UNICEF Nigeria, said global hand washing day is an opportunity for all stakeholders to promote hand washing practices.
This, he said, would go a long way to defeat preventable diseases, and also provide opportunity for everyone to know the gains of proper hand washing.
Nadar said one in two persons don’t wash their hands after defecating, saying excreta is known to contain no fewer than one trillion germs.
Nadar, however, urged all parents to inculcate the culture of hand washing with soap and running water at critical times.
“In order to reduce poverty, disease infection and infestation, we all must raise our hand for hygiene by adopting proper hand washing practices.”
The theme for the 2015 Global Hand Washing day is ‘Raise A Hand For Hygiene.’
