Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has inaugurated the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) project, to address the challenges of access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene in the state.
Sule, who inaugurated the project on Friday, in Kokona Local Government Area of the state, explained that the project was in line with his administration’s commitment to key into the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme recently launched by the Federal Government.
The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Mr Nuhu Usman – Bunu, noted that the PEWASH project was aimed at increasing access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in rural communities in the state.
“Today’s occasion is important and timely; it’s a demonstration of our administration’s commitment to key into the National Action Plan for the revitalisation of the WASH programme declared by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As part of efforts to meet global standard as envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this administration takes informed decisions to revive the moribund Nasarawa State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (NARUWASA) so as to address the water challenge,” he said.
Sule explained that the state had recorded significant progress in the implementation of the PEWASH Programme including paying its N250 million counterpart fund and signing other technical requirements in that regard.
The governor expressed his resolve to vigorously pursue SDG Goal six to ensure that no one was left behind in the implementation of the national action plan.
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He urged the six benefiting local government areas –Nasarawa, Kokona, Awe, Akwanga, Lafia, Wamba. –to give the necessary support to the implementation of the project.
Sule commended the federal government for training 600 youths from the benefiting councils as Sanitation Volunteers, to work with local government WASH units to roll out the “Clean Nigeria, Use the Toilet Campaign” over the next three months.
Earlier, Mr Danjuma Madaki, Director of Water Supply, NARUWASA, said the primary goal of the PEWASH project was to contribute to the improvement of public health and poverty eradication in Nigeria through the achievements of SDG Goal six by 2030, especially in the rural areas.
Madaki explained that the project, designed to run for 15 years, was divided into three phases namely, the 2016 – 2018 preparatory phase, the 2019 – 2025 expansion phase and the 2026 – 2030 consolidation phase.
The PEWASH Programme was launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Nov. 17, 2016, in Abuja. (NAN)
