Stakeholders set 2030 target for open defecation-free status in FCT

The absence of an open defecation-free area council in the Federal Capital Territory has prompted a stakeholders’ meeting to set a 2030 roadmap for achieving sanitation goals.

The strategy aims to make all six area councils open-defecation-free within the next six years.

Speaking at the Abuja Urban Sanitation Conference to commemorate this year’s World Toilet Day, Executive Director of HipCity Innovation Centre, Bassey Bassey, expressed regret that despite Nigeria’s efforts including the declaration of a state of emergency in the Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector and the launch of the National Action Plan to End Open Defecation by 2025, significant gaps remain in citizen awareness and participation.

He said the involvement of youth, especially those in informal settlements, is vital for achieving the goal of being open defecation-free (ODF) by 2030.

The event was organised by HipCity Innovation Centre in collaboration with the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate (FCT-RUWASSA).

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He said the conference aims to address the most pressing challenges of the FCT, where open defecation is a major concern.

The Executive Director said the Centre is collaborating with FCT-RUWASSA, with a view to establishing a task force to help curb the spread of open defecation by arresting defaulters who choose to stool in open spaces when facilities are available for use.

His words: “It is really sad that the Federal Capital Territory, capital of Nigeria, does not have even a single area council that is open defecation free. So one of the key things that we are doing here is to bring stakeholders into the room to see how we forge a pathway to ensure that the six area councils of Abuja or the FCT is open defecation-free by the year 2030.

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“One of the key messages would be on sanitation jobs. People are doing recycling and biogas. We have an energy crisis, and yet every day people eat and defecate. So why don’t we creatively manage those human feces in such a way that we are now channeling it into productive use, generating biogas, using it for other recyclable material?”

Bassey highlighted HipCity’s efforts in introducing creative solutions like the “Swag Toilet” initiative, which helps young entrepreneurs get the tools they need to offer sanitation services and teach communities about the importance of hygiene.

He also called on the government to create laws that would encourage private companies to invest in sanitation infrastructure, especially in areas that are not well-served.

Also speaking, the Overseeing Director of FCT-RUWASSA, Luke Ulom, highlighted the progress of FCTA in sanitation, particularly through the implementation of Executive Order 009.

This, he said, empowers the directorate to tackle open defecation at all levels including the urban, suburban, and rural communities.

“Contracts have been awarded for the construction of toilet facilities in rural and suburban areas, and Kwali Area Council has already achieved significant progress, with 97% of its communities declared open defecation-free,” Ulom noted.

He added that the government is taking important steps to enact stronger sanitation laws and establish a first-line committee to enforce compliance.

Ulom highlighted the challenges confronting the directorate including misuse of public facilities in informal areas, stressing that it remains hopeful about the efforts to change people’s attitudes through community engagement and public awareness campaigns.

On her part, the National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign, Chizoma Opara, noted that the recently launched strategic plan by the Federal Government to end ODF provides a clear roadmap for achieving this target by 2030.

She called for sustained political will and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to meet the target.