By Murtala Muhammad
Gombe and Plateau state governments have pledged to follow Bauchi State’s approach in achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, to be pursued through the implementation of a Bauchi’s Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) strategy.
They made the commitment during an Exchange Visit Session for FSM Strategy Implementation held in Bauchi, organised by the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) with support from UNICEF.
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, General Manager of Plateau State’s RUWASSA, Mr Godfrey Dashua, assured that his team had gained valuable insights and was ready to implement them.
He noted that Governor Caleb Muftwang had fully supported the agency to achieve ODF status across Plateau State.
Also speaking, Gombe State’s Assistant General Manager of RUWASSA, Babayo Bawuro Muhammad, who described the visit as enlightening, highlighted that the innovative methods for managing faecal sludge would help his state generate more revenue from the process.
Both states reaffirmed their commitment to adopting Bauchi’s FSM strategy and implement it to their respective needs.
A lecturer from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Professor Isa Muhammad, who emphasised the potential of effective waste management, explained that proper evacuation, transportation, and processing of the sludge could produce gas and briquettes for cooking.
During her visit to the FSM processing facility at Bauchi RUWASSA, UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, commended Bauchi State for its FSM strategy guidelines and expressed optimism for its full implementation in no distant time.
Bauchi state’s Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Danlami Ahmed Kawule, also lauded UNICEF and other partners for their technical support and pledged continued collaboration.
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