By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State government has pledged to ensure the speedy approval of the United Nations’ Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Framework and Open Defecation Free (ODF) Roadmap documents.
State Commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs. Enobong Mbobo, gave the assurance over the weekend when members of IbomWASH+, a cluster of six Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), paid an advocacy visit to her in her office in Uyo.
Recall that the documents, which are ancillary to the State Water Sector Law, were earlier presented to the immediate past State Executive Council for approval but were referred for further discussion before assent.
Mbobo said that the ministry, in collaboration with the State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, would review the documents to enable their presentation at the November Executive Council meeting for approval.
The Commissioner emphasized that the creation of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation as a standalone Ministry from the former Ministry of Rural Development and Water Resources highlights the importance the present administration has attached to water and sanitation-related issues in the state.
“We are lucky that the Governor was a Commissioner in the Ministry of Lands and Water Resources in the last administration, a position that has placed him in a good position to understand the challenges of water resources and sanitation in the state. However, because of the enormous responsibilities of that ministry, he couldn’t achieve much,” the Commissioner noted.
She applauded IbomWASH+ for developing the WASH frameworks and policies, pointing out that these documents would greatly assist the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in addressing the various challenges in the water sector of the state, and she called for advice and input from stakeholders to move the sector forward.
Earlier, the Project Director of IbomWASH+, Prof Gabriel Umoh, had informed the Commissioner that the visit was to brief her on the activities of IbomWASH+ in the state and to explore further collaboration in addressing the significant challenges facing the sector.
Umoh explained that Akwa Ibom, and indeed Nigeria, has only two years left to meet the deadline for the country to become open defecation-free. He added that relevant frameworks and policies need to be in place to effectively tackle the numerous problems affecting the WASH sector.
These documents, according to Umoh, including the WASH Policy, WASH Monitoring & Evaluation (M & E) framework, and the Open Defecation-free Roadmap, were produced by stakeholders in the WASH sector, including state government MDAs, and were duly vetted by the Legal Drafting unit of the Ministry of Justice.
The Project Director appealed to the Commissioner to present the documents to the state executive council for approval. He also advocated for an increased budgetary allocation to the WASH sector by 5%, up from the current 1.3% of the state’s annual budget, as well as the timely release of appropriated funds to WASH-related Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
According to him, “safe water supply and the eradication of open defecation in Akwa Ibom State are critical to the health and welfare of our citizens, especially women and children who bear the greatest burden and consequences of poor water supply that may, in addition, be contaminated by feces.” Umoh concluded.
IbomWASH+ is led by the African Human Development Center (AHDC) as the anchor organization, while others include the Society for Water and Sanitation in Nigeria (NEWSAN), Rural Development and Education in Nigeria, and Gender Advocacy. It is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement project, implemented nationally by Palladium LLC.
