Jos: The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) has called for strengthened financing mechanisms, institutional reforms, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to enhance Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in Plateau State. The National Coordinator of NEWSAN, Mr. Attah Benson, made the call during an advocacy visit to Plateau State WASH stakeholders.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Benson stated that the visit was part of ongoing efforts by the network to deepen engagement and support reforms in the state’s WASH sector. He highlighted the growing burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) linked to poor water and sanitation, noting that about 150 million Nigerians are at risk of contracting schistosomiasis, with the country bearing the highest burden in Africa. More than 13.9 million Nigerians are at risk of blindness from advanced trachoma, diseases closely associated with inadequate access to potable water and sanitation, especially in rural communities and among school-age children.
Benson emphasized the need for strengthening WASH systems to address these public health challenges. He said the organization was prioritizing systems strengthening and institutional development through policy assessment, regulatory framework improvements, enhanced coordination, and long-term planning. These measures aim to improve resource mobilization within the sector.
He referenced the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) initiative, which promotes Water and Sanitation Compacts-high-level agreements by Heads of State to guarantee funding for the sector. Benson urged the Plateau WASH sector to champion the creation of a ‘WASH-procurement budget line’ to allocate a fixed percentage of project contracts to sanitation and water services, thereby providing sustainable funding and reducing reliance on limited government budgets.
Benson underscored that Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) is central to achieving other SDGs, including health, education, economic growth, and social justice. He also highlighted the importance of behavior change communication in ending open defecation and improving sanitation practices, expressing concern over the limited outcomes of the 2022 National Sanitation Summit.
Responding, Plateau State Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Mr. Bashir Lawandi, described the visit as timely and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with stakeholders. He noted that Plateau had developed a well-organized and coordinated water sector, which had consistently ranked high in performance assessments.
Lawandi acknowledged persistent challenges, particularly the prevalence of water and sanitation-related diseases across the state, affecting 16 out of 17 local government areas. He added that trachoma cases were still present in at least one local government area. The state is implementing a results-based WASH program focused on eliminating open defecation, with the aim to declare more local governments Open Defecation Free (ODF) by the end of the year.
Lawandi reaffirmed the state’s commitment to working closely with the National Union of Sanitation Workers of Nigeria and commended sanitation workers for their role in mobilizing communities to adopt improved hygiene practices. He emphasized the need for sustained community engagement, infrastructure development, and behavioral change interventions to achieve ODF status.
He concluded by reaffirming the state government’s commitment to sustained collaboration with stakeholders and development partners to improve WASH service delivery and public health outcomes.