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The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has advised residents of Abuja to imbibe the habit of regular hand washing to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Aliyu, who gave the advice during a community sensitisation rally to mark the 2020 World Water Day on Sunday in Abuja, urged the residents to practice personal hygiene to avoid the disease.
She stressed that hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of diseases including the prevailing global pandemic of COVID-19.
Represented by the General Manager, FCT Water Board, Malam Aliyu Nahuce, she explained that the essence of the campaign was to raise awareness and educate communities on the danger of COVID-19.
The minister also said that the campaign was aimed at educating residents on the devastating effect of open defecation and practice of personal hygiene to check the spread of epidemics.
On the theme for 2020 World Water Day, “Water and Climate Change” Aliyu said it shows that water would protect health and save lives by adapting to the effects of climate change.
“The theme is apt at this moment of prevalent global issues and challenges ranging from climate change effect to infectious diseases such as COVID-19.”
She, however, expressed regret that most developing countries, including Nigeria, still practice indiscriminate dumping of plastic wastes and open defecation that bring about the pollution of water sources.
This, she added, has had a negative effect on human health and environment, including increase in the operating cost of water treatment plants as experienced by the FCT Water Board.
“Many factors identified as barrier to sound environmental practices include lack of awareness and weak law enforcement.
“This initiative to embark on community sensitisation cannot, therefore, be coming at a better time than now that all hands must be on deck to keep disease burden down and put the nation on the path to sustainable development,” she added.
The minister, therefore, assured the residents that the FCT under the stewardship of Malam Muhammad Bello, was committed to tackling open defecation in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of state of emergency on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the country.
On her part, Fati Abubakar, Executive Director of Number Two Initiative for a Healthy Environment, an NGO, said the rally was a grassroots intervention to create awareness on the importance of hand-washing especially at a time when the global community was dealing with the scourge of COVID-19.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rally which took place at Aleita community in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), was organised by the Number Two Initiative for a Healthy Environment in partnership with Safety Awareness and Environmental Support Initiative and Grassroots Mobilisers for Buhari and Osinbajo. (NAN)
