The Bauchi State Government has announced a N200 million investment through the State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) to construct at least thirty-five climate-resilient, user-friendly toilets across the state. This initiative aims to support the declaration of some local government areas (LGAs) in the state as open defecation-free (ODF) and ensure that other LGAs attain this status in the near future, promoting healthier living conditions for all.
Dr Mahmud Mohammed Bose, the Director General of BASEPA, disclosed this on Friday while speaking with a team of journalists supported by the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office. The journalists were in his office to assess the impact of the ODF status in the LGAs.
“There are many offices that do not have toilets, thereby making issues of convenience difficult for the staff, particularly women. This is a very serious issue that we take, you know, very seriously in the agency. In fact, as part of our margin for 2025, we have a provision of about N200 million, which is budgeted for this issue of public toilet construction,” Dr Bose said.
He further emphasised that these toilets would not be ordinary but well-equipped with sanitary facilities and water supply, particularly to ease the experience for women during their menstrual periods. “And not ordinary toilets; they will be well equipped with sanitary and water supply for our women in order to make it easy for them, particularly during their menstrual period. They are going to be user-friendly and accommodating public challenges, for which we have a model in the state,” he added.
Dr. Bose also stressed the importance of menstrual hygiene, the dignity and safety of women and children, and inclusivity for people with disabilities, remarking, “The issue of menstrual hygiene, you know, the dignity and safety of a woman, you know, our children. So is a befitting model that is going to make it all-encompassing, including people with disabilities.”
Regarding the success of Bauchi’s journey towards becoming ODF, he noted that BASEPA has been a key stakeholder in this process. “So it’s a successful journey, of which BASEPA is part. We have some of our staff who are currently working with the stakeholders in terms of mobilisation, in terms of community sanitation. And so many issues in regards to attaining the ODF of the local government area. So BASEPA has been a key stakeholder in the journey, and also, as part of the effort of the agency, you know, we have been working on this management of the development,” he said.
Dr. Bose also highlighted BASEPA’s regulatory role in faecal sludge management. “We have identified both manual and mechanised operations in faecal sludge management and formed a union for operators. They are now registered with the agency and have undergone capacity-building sessions with RUWASA and other partners to improve their management practices,” he explained.
Further, he discussed efforts to establish faecal sludge management outlets, disclosing, “We also tried to come up with faecal sludge large management outlets, which is the first of its kind in the whole country. But they came up with the guideline, which was part of UNICEF support. After having the guidelines, UNICEF, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, employs international consultants so that at least we can think of how to implement the document.”
Dr Bose was optimistic about the future of sanitation in the state, adding, “And, I’m glad to inform you that, now, in Bauchi State, we have launched the management implementation strategy, which is climate resilient, you know, which has taken care of all the climatic breaks that we are having in the state in terms of flooding, in terms of windstorm. So, now, we are not just talking about the initially difficult implementation strategy. It’s also climate resilience; the whole world now is talking about the show of climate resilient watch, which is part of the sustainability aspect by putting in place to see that.”
Dr. Mahmud Bose added, “We have controlled the issue of what we have for sustainability in this state. So, we are doing all we can from the agency to ensure that all our stakeholders are conversant with the document that we have, which ultimately will help in the achievement of safely managed sanitation that we are now talking about.”
He also emphasised, “So we are putting all mechanisms in place to see that the sustainability of attaining this ODF status is well achieved. Also, as part of the effort, we are working with ready-to-use, centred-friendly toilets, which were commissioned a few weeks ago. The user-centred friendly toilets are also a sustainability mechanism for ODF, and we are planning to have these toilet facilities in most of our public places and markets.”
Dr Bose further explained the collaboration with the private sector, saying, “You know, we are working closely with the private sector to see how we can have all investment in those aspects so that it should be private sector-driven, with people truly investing their money in this aspect. This way, at least, we can reduce the burden on the government for attaining ODF.”
To achieve an open defecation-free status in the state, Dr Bose said the Bauchi State Government, in collaboration with stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sectors, adopted the Climate Resilient Faecal Sludge Implementation Strategy document, which covers the period from 2025 to 2030.
With support from UNICEF and other development partners, stakeholders validated the findings contained in the document, which serves as an operational guideline for all service providers and other stakeholders within the faecal sludge management value chain in the state.
“The adoption of the guidelines facilitated the attainment and maintenance of the ODF status. I am happy that today in Bauchi State, we have a Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Implementation Strategy, which is Climate Resilient. This is part of the sustainability strategy we are putting in place to see that we control the issue of open defecation,” he added.
Dr Bose also highlighted their collaboration with WaterAid Nigeria under their Impact Accelerator project. “We already have a user-centred friendly toilet, which was commissioned last week in the state. This is also a sustainability mechanism for ODF, and we plan to have this kind of toilet facility in public places such as market areas and motor parks,” he said.
The Bauchi Local Government Chairman of Toilet Business Owners, Ibrahim Kabo Umar, also shared his insights. He explained that open defecation was once a significant problem in the state, as many people were not involved in toilet businesses. However, the increase in toilet businesses within the local government has greatly contributed to achieving the open defecation-free status.
“We, as Toilet Business Owners, contributed greatly to Bauchi Local Government in becoming ODF because, in public places such as motor parks and market areas, we have toilets under public-private partnerships. Again, we ensure that we collect the faeces whenever the toilet is full and make money out of it. So, we are also profiting from the faeces,” he said.
To further discourage open defecation, Umar noted that toilet business owners ensure that girls, women, and persons with disabilities do not pay to use the toilets. “We even allow some men who are pressed and don’t have money to use the toilets. Also, BASEPA has integrated toilet business owners into the faecal sludge implementation strategy and given us support in all our activities,” he added.
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