The Cross River State Government has intensified efforts to eliminate open defecation, with Ogoja Local Government Area emerging as the latest council on the verge of attaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
The development follows the conclusion of the final state-level certification protocol for the council under the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiative, implemented through the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSSA) with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The exercise, which is the last stage before national verification, found all 372 communities in Ogoja to have met the requirements for ODF status, leaving only validation and formal declaration by the National Task Group on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Speaking after the certification exercise on Friday, the State WASH-NTDs Facilitator, Kelly Odoni, said the achievement underscored the importance of improved sanitation and hygiene in tackling neglected tropical diseases linked to poor environmental conditions.
He explained that although medical interventions had helped reduce the burden of diseases such as schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, their elimination would not be sustainable without improved access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Odoni disclosed that UNICEF and its partners had invested over N50 million in integrating WASH interventions in Ogoja, including the provision of sanitation facilities, improved access to safe water and behaviour change campaigns aimed at ending open defecation.
He urged residents and stakeholders not to relent in maintaining proper sanitation practices to ensure the successful national validation of Ogoja as an Open Defecation Free local government area.
Chairman of Ogoja Local Government Area, Christopher Agbeh, commended residents for embracing the sanitation campaign and pledged to sustain the gains through the construction of household and public toilets, as well as continuous public enlightenment.
“We are hopeful that Ogoja will soon be certified Open Defecation Free because our people have demonstrated remarkable commitment to this process,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director of Water Supply and Quality Control in the State Ministry of Water Resources and leader of the State Task Group on WASH, Kanu Eni, expressed optimism that the success recorded in Ogoja would be replicated in other local government areas across the state.
The Clan Head of Nwang, Godwin Ejogor, described the impending certification as a major milestone, noting that community leaders had established sanitation task forces to enforce compliance and protect residents from waterborne diseases.
Earlier assessments by the Ogoja WASH Department had also indicated that the communities met the national requirements for Open Defecation Free validation.