The Nigerian Government has launched a National Youths Volunteer Programme aimed at scaling up sanitation and hygiene in the country as part of the COVID-19 prevention campaign.
Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu while inaugurating the youth volunteer programme virtually in Abuja, the Nation’s Capital, said the move was part of the federal government’s intervention to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister explained that the Youth Volunteers under the program will be trained on communicating and demonstrating good sanitation and hygiene practices that can help to contain the spread of the coronavirus and curtail the practice of open defecation in the country.
The Youths will in turn be expected to engage Nigerians at the household, community and institutional levels in passing on these messages.
The Minister stated that the Federal Government will engage 100 Youth Volunteers in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the country for community-sensitization and awareness creation on safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices for COVlD-19 prevention over a 3-month period.
He noted that “The Federal Government through the Ministry has provided intervention support to states with the rehabilitation and road construction of four hundred and ninety-five boreholes to improve access to basic necessities.
“The need for awareness creation and mass sensitization on the adoption of good sanitation and hygiene practices became imperative so as to maximize the access to safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services intrinsically linked to disease prevention.
“In the case of COVID-19, regular handwashing with soap is considered as an affordable, accessible, do-it-yourself vaccine and reduces the outbreak and incidence of many communicable diseases such as the Coronavirus.”
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES
*PRESS RELEASE*
*FG TO ENGAGE 100 YOUTH VOLUNTEERS IN EACH OF THE 774 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS (LGAS) ACROSS THE COUNTRY*
The Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu FNSE, FAEng has stated that Federal Government will
— Water Resources Media Portal (@Waterresources9) March 9, 2021
In his goodwill message, the UNICEF Representative Mr Michael Forson noted that the role of Youths in the fight against Open Defecation is quite significant and cannot be overemphasized because the future and development of the country lies in the hands of the Youths.
Also speaking at the event, the FCT Minister of State, Hajia Rahmatu Ibrahim, said that the issue of open defecation and hygiene practices in terms of Safety from the ravages of Covid-19 is very essential and therefore the idea of gathering Youths in each of the 774 local government is very welcome because the youths have the energy.
The Ministery expressed determination to work with all stakeholders as it looks forward to a country where everyone has access to safe WASH services with the attendant health benefit for all.
The flag-off ceremony was witnessed by stakeholders drawn from the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, Abuja Municipal Area Council and FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) amongst others.
Zainab Sa’id
