Benue, Cross River get N780m to boost water supply, sanitation

Mrs Sarah Reng Ochekpe, Minister of Water Resources, said at the formal signing of Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the programme in the two states that access to water supply and basic sanitation were the cornerstone of any prosperous society.
She said: “Without access to portable water supply and basic sanitation, the development and well being of the populace will be in jeopardy. It is in view of this that the three tiers of government in Nigeria had put in places a collaborative mechanism to improve access to water and sanitation.”
She regretted that the population of Nigerians with access to basic sanitation and hygiene kept fluctuating from 37 per cent in 1990 to 34 per cent in 2000, adding: “Although the situation has improved from 34 per cent to 41 per cent by 2012 according to the national assessment, it is a far cry from our set national target of 65 per cent by 2015 and 75 per cent by 202.”
Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, said that the selection of the state to benefit from the programme was the manifestation of the hard work the state had undertaken in improving access to water and sanitation for the people.
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River said the state was working toward attaining free open defacation status for all local government areas of the state, hoping that the inclusion of the state in the programme would fast track the process.