[News] LOGO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA CELEBRATES OPEN DEFECATION FREE STATUS

Open defecation is a major environmental and health issue facing the local populace of Nigeria. Efforts to end the practice by government agencies as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) over the years has proved difficult albeit pockets of successes in different localities in Nigeria.
One of the success stories recorded thus far is Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. Located in Zone A Senatorial District of Benue State, Logo with its headquarters at Ugba has a population of over 300,000.
This achievement is worthy of note because it is the first in Benue State and the entire North-Central Nigeria and the third under the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) programme to attain this status, following Obanliku and Bekwarra in Cross River State.
On the 31st January 2019, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) and Benue State Government, through the Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA) declared Logo LGA an Open Defecation free LGA.

This followed the successful completion of a rigorous process of three-stage verification, certification and a final validation by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS).
The people of Logo- Chiefs, WASHCOM members and Local Government authorities have rolled out the drums and will be gathering TOMORROW 3rd September 2019 at LEGA Primary School Ugba, Logo LGA to celebrate this achievement.
Representatives from the State Government, relevant Ministries, Department & Agencies, the Commissioner for Water Resources and the General Manager BERWEASSA will be in attendance. Delegates from the Federal Government- Representation of the Minister for Water Resources, the National Task Group on Sanitation, the WASH Ambassador Engr Ebele Okeke, and the National Coordinator WSSCC, Mrs Elizabeth Jeiyol will be in attendance.
In a press conference at the ministry of water resources and environment, the commissioner, Engineer Dondo Ahile expressed joy that, Logo LGA is the Seventh (7) in Nigeria to be celebrated ODF by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. He said, this LGA wide achievement of ODF, the LGAs over 300,000 population of the LGA now live in clean, healthy environments, and all households and key public spaces have constructed for themselves latrines and sanitation facilities. They have put an end to open defection through a collective behaviour change process. The impact of this change process is most felt by children under 5 years old the main victims of diseases resulting from poor sanitation and hygiene practices.
The Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) programme is a ground-breaking 7-year, $5 million, programme that is transforming the health of over 2,000 communities in Benue and Cross River States across nine LGAs in Benue State and Cross River States. The programme uses the Community-Led Total Sanitation approach, empowering entire communities to collectively change their sanitation and hygiene behaviour, ensuring that every community member uses a toilet and practices good hygiene.
RUSHPIN programme is an initiative of the Government of Nigeria, implemented with funding from the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF)/Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). United Purpose (UP), an International NGO headquartered in the UK, is the Executing Agency of the RUSHPIN programme.
The sanitation model of the RUSHPIN Programme is specifically designed for replication and expanding to scale into three additional local government areas. This commitment is embedded in the MoU signed between the Benue State Government, the Federal Government and the donor (UNOPS/WSSCC) in 2014.

Engineer Dondo.Honourable Commissioner for Water Resources

At the conference, the commissioner also stressed that, the Government of Benue State has honoured their commitment to the RUSHPIN programme, through the release of an initial 50 Million Naira out of the expected 400 Million Naira. The released funds are presently being used to scale-up this sanitation and hygiene programme in Ado, Gboko and Gwer West LGAs. With the expectation of the release of further funds and the appointment of the new General Manager for BERWASSA, Mrs Torkwase Ikyaator, it is hoped that more ODF LGAs in Benue State will be celebrated in the near future.

Check out more photos from the conference below: