By Obio Monday
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has issued stern warning to residents of the state against indiscriminate defecating in open places.
He said the most source of diseases is as a result of indiscriminate defecation in and around the neighbourhood, which becomes compounded when there is rainfall.
He said he would commit N700 million to the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSA) to support their water programmes.
“This will make the state the first state in Nigeria that will have 100 per cent Open Defecation Free status. It’s a commitment that I am giving now, and I will uphold it with every fibre of my being.”
The governor spoke in Calabar when he received, a delegation of funding agencies led by the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr Ibrahim Khalil Conteh.
“Let me thank you for all the various successes you have achieved in this water, sanitation and hygiene sector. Eighty per cent of diseases in Africa are water related. Of these diseases, the greatest and the most implicated source of disease are as a result of indiscriminate defecation in and around the neighbourhood.
He appealed for an extension of the various projects to ensure that every local government area in the state benefits from the programme and attains the Open Defecation Free status.
Earlier, the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr Ibrahim Khalil Conteh, congratulated the state for attaining Open Defecation Free status in five of its 18 local government areas.
He therefore, requested the state government’s support in sustaining the feats that have been achieved so far.
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