•as Reps, PS Ministry of Water Resources trade words over zonal intervention borehole projects
The Federal Government on Thursday disclosed that it cannot meet the 2025 deadline set to end open defecation in the country, despite the approval of N63.6 billion through Executive Order 009 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2019.
Minister of Environment, Ishaq Salako on Thursday admitted that Nigeria disclosed this in Abuja, during the public hearing held at the instance of the joint House of Representatives Committees on Environment, Water Resources, Works, Ecological Fund and Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, during which the lawmakers and Ministry of Water Resources traded words on the non-construction of boreholes in the Zonal Intervention Programme (ZIP), as alleged by one of the members of the joint Committees.
Salako who commended the 10th House on its Legislative Agenda said: “In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order 009 that committed Nigeria to eradicate open defecation by 2025, next year.”
According to him, “As of 2022, UNICEF identified that up to 48 million Nigerians still practice open defecation and it is projected that, to be able to bring those 48 million Nigerians from practising open defecation, we need to be constructing at least 3.9 million toilets on an annual basis.”
While expressing reservation on the efforts made so far to achieve the feat, the Minister averred that: “Nigeria and most parts of the world, is lagging behind in the Agenda to end open defecation. The globe is also lagging behind. The latest review also showed that globally, we are lagging behind in that Agenda to end open defecation.”
On his part, Minister of Water Resources & Sanitation, Mr. Joseph Utsev confirmed that out of the total sum of N63.6 billion approved by the former President, only N4.5 billion was appropriated while N4.1 billion was released so far.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi said: “today, we have 122 Local Governments that can be said to be ODF with one state being completely ODF. According to the roadmap, 43,000 toilets are required across the country, but currently, the reality is that 48 million people are practising open defecation nationwide thereby requiring a minimum of one million toilets across the country.
“As of today, 5,004 toilets have been constructed across the country in public institutions and public places.
“When the President (Buhari) signed the Order, it came with an approval of N63.6 billion to be spread over six years to end open defecation. But to date, what has been received is not up to even an annual allocation. The 63.6 billion was for six years with an annual allocation of 10.6 billion per year.
“But to date, only 4.5 billion has been appropriated out of this only 4.1 billion has been released to the Ministry to date, so you can see the gap,” he noted.
In his address, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas who was represented by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda explained that the public hearing was initiated as a result of the growing incidence of open defecation in Nigeria, which he noted poses “grave risks to health and undermines our dignity and quality of life.
“As representatives of the people, we cannot remain idle observers of this happening. I firmly believe that every citizen should have access to facilities enabling them to maintain good sanitation and hygiene practices.”
Abbas stressed that in doing so, they are ensuring that Nigerians are protected not only in terms of public health but also in the dignity of our fundamental human rights.
He added: “We cannot ignore the pressing demand for additional toilets across the nation. Clean and secure sanitation facilities are a fundamental human right that remains inaccessible to millions of citizens.
“This stark disparity between the fortunate few and those lacking this vital service is evident in terms of quality of life, health and in instances out disease outbreaks but this is a gap that can be effectively closed through collaborative efforts involving government bodies, private sector entities, and civil society organizations.”
While responding to a question from one of the lawmakers on the non-construction of boreholes approved in the ZIP and whether the ministry complied with the Public Procurement Act during the award of ZIP contracts, the Permanent Secretary who was visibly angry said: “On the second question that whether we go by Procurement Act, I don’t think there’s any Agency that does not do their procurement without going through the process of the Procurement Act.
“So, if these things are not working before you pay, one of the most critical documents as a CEO or …officer is the certificate of completion which says everything must have been duly completed before you pay.”
In his intervention, Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Hon. Julius Pondi who was unsatisfied with the Perm Secretary’s response asked: “Permanent Secretary, are you saying that you only rely on the certificate of completion for payment?”
In his response, Shinkafi said: “In my own Ministry, we have GPS pictures there.”
Yet worried by his submission, Pondi argued that: “it is easy for somebody to give you pictures from anywhere with a document later to say it has been completed.
“What I’m trying to say is that you do not go for inspection to ensure that this job has really been done?”
In his response, Shinkafi said: “we do. We do, we have a department, and Auditors. Auditors are there and the department.”
In his intervention, however, Hon. Sada Soli urged the lawmaker to provide the details of the borehole project to enable the intervention of his Committee.
He said: “Honourable Member, you have the Committee on Water Resources on this, please in your constituency kindly give me the location, and the notice of the contractor, please give me that information and I will arrange a meeting with the Ministry, the contractor and the person that certified the job.
“If the job is still within the default liability period, we will ask the contractor to go back there. I assure you of this. I will deal with it decisively.”
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