UNICEF support, govt political will responsible for ODF success —RUWASSA

By Bashir Hassan Abubakar

As the global community marks World Toilet Day 2025, Mangrove & Partners, a leading institutional strengthening consultancy, convened a high-level national webinar to accelerate efforts toward ending open defecation in Nigeria.

Speaking at the virtual workshop, Managing Partner/CEO Timeyin Uwejamomere said the session was designed to unite key WASH stakeholders to examine strategies for scaling up sanitation interventions at national and subnational levels. He stressed the urgency of fast-tracking Nigeria’s journey toward an Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.

The webinar spotlighted the country’s two ODF-certified states—Jigawa and Katsina—with the heads of their rural water agencies, Engr. Labaran Adamu (Jigawa RUWASSA) and Engr. Aminu Safana (Katsina RUWASSA), sharing how political will, state budget lines for WASH, and sustained community engagement drove their success. Both officials credited former Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Sulaiman Adamu, for championing advocacy that secured the commitment of their governors. They also acknowledged UNICEF Nigeria’s technical and capacity-building support as pivotal to the achievement.

National Coordinator of the Federal Government’s Clean Nigeria Campaign, Mrs. Chizoma Opara, urged governors across the country to ride on the momentum created by the initiative. She said the campaign would intensify engagements with states to help replicate the Jigawa and Katsina examples nationwide.

In his closing remarks, former Minister Sulaiman Adamu described the webinar as a valuable platform for sharing lessons and galvanising political action. He congratulated Katsina for joining Jigawa on the ODF map and encouraged other states to adopt their model. He also commended Mangrove & Partners for providing a space to showcase progress and inspire renewed commitment.

This year’s World Toilet Day is themed “We’ll Always Need the Toilet: ODF is Possible in Nigeria