By YANGE IKYAA
The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, has expressed confidence that the hosting of the World Toilet Summit by Nigeria will be a game changer for the country in terms of expanding sanitation access for the citizenry.
Adamu stated this Thursday in Abuja, while addressing a press conference ahead of the summit, which will take place in Abuja from November 18 to 19, with the theme: “Towards Sanitation Innovation for Economic Development.”.
He also seized the opportunity to share information with the media on the forthcoming summit.
“I have confidence that the summit will be a game changer, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of ending open defecation in Nigeria by 2025. It will also provide the basis for taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade,” said the minister.
The hosting rights for the summit were given to Nigeria in 2021 by the World Toilet Organization (WTO).
Founded on 19th November, 2001, WTO is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving toilet sanitation and access worldwide.
Since 2013, the United Nations has observed November 19 as World Toilet Day, and Nigeria will be the second country in Africa to host this annual World Toilet Summit.
The WTO was founded by Jack Sim, who is a leading social entrepreneur and sanitation advocate that broke the taboo around toilets by bringing the sanitation crisis to the global media spotlight. It is committed to empowering individuals through education, training and building local market-place opportunities to advocate for clean and safe sanitation facilities in their communities.
Known for his unique efforts in combining humour and serious facts to advocate for improved sanitation conditions globally, Sim has mobilized a global movement involving governments, policy makers, UN agencies, international civil society, thought leaders and activists to work together in addressing the global sanitation crisis.
“It is gratifying to note that a lot of private organizations and other stakeholders are joining us and this press conference has become imperative to bring us up to speed as preparations gear up to Nigeria’s hosting of the World Toilet Summit from the 18th to 19th November, 2022,” Adamu maintained.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of water resources, Didi Walson-Jack, said the press conference has become important because accurate and correct information about the summit will be disseminated to the general public for the creation of awareness on new innovations, instant exposure of the benefits of the summit for increased technological, cost-effective investments and entrepreneurial potential.
