Public convenience owners laud UNICEF over training on faecal sludge management in Gombe
Public convenience owners in Gombe State have commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Gombe State government for organising a training on faecal sludge management (FSM) in the state.
Malam Khalid Umar, the Gombe State chairman, Public Convenience Maintenance gave the commendation on Saturday after their State Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Gombe.
Umar said that their invitation to be part of UNICEF’s training showed that they were critical stakeholders in faecal sludge management in the state.
He stated that during the training, they were sensitised on their roles in ending open defecation and improvement of public health.
He stated that the training was eye-opening for the association on how to manage faecal sludge as well as encourage the use of public toilets through proper sanitation and hygiene.
Umar said part of the recommendations of their SEC meeting was to step down the training to other members across the state so as to ensure that the state’s open defecation free target was met.
“We want to thank UNICEF and the Gombe State government for inviting our members to be part of their media dialogue training on FSM towards ending open defecation in the state.
“We are now more knowledgeable about our roles in ensuring ODF status for Gombe State and how we can help in curbing open defecation.
“The economic potential in FSM was discussed in details and this is good for us to look into as stakeholders to create more jobs and improve public health,” he said.
Umar said his members were sensitised to the danger of open defecation and how poor sludge management could lead to open defecation.
He said that his association would guide its members who operate over 85 public toilet facilities in Gombe metropolis on how to dispose sludge when their septic tanks get filled up.
According to him, faecal sludge were usually given to farm owners who take them to their farms to enrich their soil but “with this training, we are told that such acts are equivalent to open defecation.
“We will henceforth look into that and ensure we collaborate more with the state government on evacuation of faecal sludge,” he said.
Umar appealed to the state government, UNICEF and other stakeholders to establish faecal sludge treatment plant to improve public, boost revenue, create jobs and enhance soil health for better agricultural productivity.
Our Correspondent reports that UNICEF in collaboration with Gombe State government had on Thursday organised a one-day Media Dialogue on Accelerating FSM Strategy Adoption in Gombe State.
The training was part of efforts aimed at accelerating the attainment of open defecation free Gombe State.
