From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Gombe State government has announced the ban of open defecation in the state, this is the state governor declared a state of emergency on the menace, as well as Provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PWASH) project of the federal government.
According to the state’s commissioner of water resources, Alhaji Mijinyawa Yahaya, the ban was part of the effort to implement the PWASH project, he added that the state governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who signed the document on the state of emergency has approved N250 million for the take-off of the project.
The commissioner disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of the executive council meeting on Wednesday in Gombe. He explained that the project is expected to kick-start in 4 out of the 11 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state and that no fewer than 331 boreholes will be constructed in Dukku, Kwami, Funakaye and Balanga LGA.
Mijinyawa added that the state government would embark on construction and establishment of toilets in public places while the state Ministry of Justice is working towards drafting laws and punishment for people that may violate the order on open defecation.
The Commissioner of Information and Culture, El-Hassan Ibrahim Kwami, further explained that his ministry will soon embark on a sensitization campaign to create awareness among members of the public to embrace the PWASH project and the dangers of open defecation.