By Ali Rabiu Ali/Bauchi/Jigawa POST-ODF/11-11-2025
The Jigawa State Ministry of Water Resources, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has organized a two-day workshop on post-Open Defecation Free (ODF) assessment dissemination, strategy implementation progress review, and 2026 sustainability plan.
The workshop, held on November 11th and 12th, 2025, brought together stakeholders, including 27 local government chairmen, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) chairman, commissioners, ministries, departments, and agencies, civil society organizations, and the media.
The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the state strategic stakeholders’ knowledge on post-ODF strategic documents, disseminate the post-ODF assessment findings and report, agree on key implementation strategies for post-ODF activities, create a state’s enabling environment to ensure effective delivery of safely managed sanitation for all by 2030, and develop a costed implementation plan and communiqué.
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In his remarks, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhassan Muhammad, emphasized the need for all stakeholders to work together to sustain the ODF status in Jigawa State. He said, “The ODF issue needs all hands to be on deck for sustainability, and the state government will continue doing its best in sustaining the status.”
The ALGON chairman and Dutse Local Government chairman, Sibu Abdullahi, commended the efforts of the state government and UNICEF in sustaining the ODF status in Jigawa State. He said, “We are delighted to be part of this workshop, which is aimed at sustaining the ODF status of the state. The post-ODF strategy is a way of sustaining the ODF status.”
The UNICEF WASH officer, Kano field office, Dr. Stella Okafor, stated that Jigawa State had achieved ODF status through community-driven sanitation. She said, “The goal is improved sanitation in all households, functional sanitation in schools and healthcare facilities, and safe treatment and disposal of all extract while the vision is safely managed sanitation for all by 2030.”
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The workshop was part of the post-ODF strategic plan, aimed at sustaining the ODF status in Jigawa State. The Commissioner for Water Resources, Colonel Muhammad Alasan (rtd.), said, “The state government is doing its best in sustaining the ODF status by projecting a significant amount of money into the project. We are committed to ensuring that all households have improved latrines in their homes.”
The workshop was attended by various stakeholders, including local government chairmen, commissioners, ministries, departments, and agencies, civil society organizations, and the media.
