About 1.3 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is spent to tackle water-borne diseases, the Youth Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (YouthWASH) has said.
In a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report last Wednesday in Abuja, the NGO called on the Federal Ministry of Education to undertake a national survey to determine the level of access to potable water. YouthWASH said the survey should also include hygiene and sanitation in schools across the country.
The group’s Coordinator, Mr Nature Obiakor said Nigeria loses 1.3 per cent of its GDP to illnesses and deaths caused by lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Hence, improved access to water, both at the rural and urban areas was an important factor for national development, he noted.
He said it was saddening to note that a large number of schools lacked access to water and proper toilet facilities, saying this was one of the factors promoting school absenteeism and disease prevalence.
“My call to government, specifically the Federal Ministry of Education is to see that there is a need for an assessment on the situation for potable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in these schools and among students,” Obiakor said.
“So if we have a national study and report, it will be easier to get donors to buy-in and start funding these activities,” he advised.
Obiakor said the group in partnership with the UN Children’s Fund was strengthening capacity of youth corps members to activate and sustain Environmental Health Clubs (EHCs) and overall hygiene promotion in schools.
