From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti

Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has disclosed that an estimated population of 46 million out of 200 Nigerians still defecate in the open, the practice he described as hazardous to the well-being of the citizens.

    But he said 61 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria have been certified Open Defecation Free (ODF).

The minister spoke in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, during the flag off of the National Youth Volunteer Programme for Hand Washing and Clean Nigeria Campaign.

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Adamu, represented by an official of the ministry, Damilola Akomolafe, described the programme as one of the interventions of the Federal Government to halt the effect of CIVID-19 pandemic on the citizens.

The minister said: “This programme was launched two years ago and ought to have been replicated in the 36 states of the federation, but for COVID-19 that brought about total lockdown of the country last year.

“The programme was conceived to mobilise Nigerian population on the need to maintain proper hygiene for their safety, because statistics revealed that an estimated population of about 46 million in Nigeria still practice open defecation.”