By Aisha Bala
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has called for urgent action to improve water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools and primary healthcare facilities across Kano and Jigawa states.
The call was made by the Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, during a media and stakeholders’ dialogue on WASH services in the two states.
Mr. Farah cited findings from the 2021 WASHNORM II survey, which revealed that only 11 per cent of schools nationwide have access to basic WASH services, while just six per cent of health facilities meet the same standard.
He noted that the situation is worse in rural areas of Northwest Nigeria, where poor WASH facilities expose millions of children to preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera.
According to him, although Jigawa State has made progress towards becoming open defecation-free, handwashing facilities and hygiene infrastructure in schools remain below national averages, affecting children’s health and learning outcomes.
Mr. Farah explained that schools and health centres without adequate WASH services can become centres for disease transmission, leading to increased absenteeism, particularly among girls, and undermining Nigeria’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He stated that with donor support, UNICEF is working with governments to improve WASH services, including the inauguration of 84 climate-resilient facilities in Kano and Jigawa under the UK-funded 19-million-pound CRIBS Programme, and urged the media to sustain advocacy and accountability efforts.
