By Umar Dankano, Yola
Three local government councils in Adamawa State—Yola South, Ganye, and Shelleng—have formally entered into a partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to implement improved strategies aimed at eradicating open defecation and addressing related hygiene challenges in their communities.
Available records show that open defecation is particularly prevalent in these LGAs, especially in rural areas, and is believed to be a major contributor to the outbreak of preventable diseases in the affected regions.
During separate interactive sessions with UNICEF officials from the Bauchi Field Office held in Yola on Wednesday, the council chairmen—Hon. Salihu Usman Maikohi (Yola South), Hon. Mohammed Jauro Farouk (Ganye), and Hon. Abubakar Musa Abba (Shelleng)—expressed their appreciation for the UNICEF initiative and pledged full cooperation.
Hon. Salihu Maikohi of Yola South stated that with adequate awareness campaigns, the initiative could significantly transform the negative hygiene practices common among grassroots populations. He described the partnership as a “golden opportunity” and assured that his council would do everything possible to ensure the program’s success.
Similarly, Chairmen Farouk and Abba of Ganye and Shelleng respectively commended UNICEF for the initiative, describing it as timely and essential for promoting a cleaner and healthier environment. They pledged their unwavering support to achieve better health outcomes and improve the well-being of their people.
In his remarks, George Aki, a Social Behaviour Change (SBC) expert from UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, said data shows that a significant portion of residents in the three LGAs still practice open defecation, especially in rural areas. He noted that this exposes communities to serious health risks, including cholera outbreaks.
Aki explained that the partnership aims to drive behavioral change through advocacy, training, and the formation of local groups to promote the provision and maintenance of sanitary toilet facilities in homes, offices, markets, motor parks, places of worship, and business premises.
He announced the formation of “Fathers for Good Health” groups—comprising 10 community members per ward in each of the three LGAs. These groups will be responsible for sensitizing their communities on key issues such as hygiene, education, immunization, vaccination, nutrition, sanitation, and birth registration.
According to Aki, UNICEF will provide technical support to ensure that the communities achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. He cited the success of a similar approach in seven LGAs of Bauchi State as evidence of its effectiveness.
Aki also revealed plans to conduct a toilet census in households across the selected wards to assess compliance and enable proper evaluation of the project’s impact.
“These groups, along with local health educators, will meet bi-monthly to assess progress and suggest improvements. I urge the council chairmen to closely monitor their activities,” Aki said.
Also speaking, Nanbam Michael, UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Officer, encouraged the chairmen to engage technical experts and private investors to construct commercial toilet facilities, particularly in public and business areas. He emphasized that such ventures could generate revenue for the local governments through public-private partnerships.
Michael further urged the council chairmen to give their full support to the ODF project to ensure its long-term success in their respective local government areas.
