Kwara Flags off ‘Clean Kwara Campaign’ To End Open Defecation

In a bid to end open defecation in the state, the Kwara State Government has launched a sanitisation campaign tagged: ‘Clean Kwara Campaign’ in Ilorin on Monday, the 21st of September 2020. 

The campaign, according to the press release signed by Rafiu Ajakaye—Chief Press Secretary to the Governor—was flagged off in commemoration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fifth anniversary as part of the administration’s efforts to end open defecation and promote good hygiene in the state. 

The event was attended by the State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, members of the cabinet, including the Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, community-based organisations, representatives of development partners such as UNICEF, WaterAid, Organised Private Sector in WASH(OPS-WASH), Reckitt Benkiser, The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) and Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). 

The state governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, while speaking at the event held in Ilorin on Monday, reportedly revealed that, according to previous statistics, Kwara is one of the states that could hardly have access to sanitisation services and among the states where open defecation is very common and the worst in the North-Central region of the country. 

“A national survey published in 2018 ranked Kwara 30th among 36 (Thirty-six) states of the federation in access to basic water and sanitisation services. We were ranked 22nd in terms of basic water supply services. Going by that report, we are in the bottom three nationwide in access to sanitisation services among the state with the highest prevalence of open defecation, and the poorest in the North Central,” the governor said.