The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social and Development has engaged inmates of Kuje Custodial Center in hand washing exercise in commemoration of the 2020 World Global Hand washing Day.
The 2020 World Global Hand washing Day sensitization with the theme “Hand Hygiene for All” marked on the 15th of October of every year was carried out at the Meduim Security Custodial Center, Kuje, Abuja.
The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social and Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq who was represented by the Deputy Director Disaster Management, Dr. Abubakar A. Suleiman donated 150 hygiene materials to inmates containing 1 bathing soap, 1 pocket size hand sanitizer, and 1 nose mask to the center.
The Minister in her speech said that “hand washing is so important to our health so much so that one of the none-medical protocols issued by the Presidential Task Force (PTF), to mitigate the spread of the novel COVID-19 is frequent hand washing with soap under running water for a duration of about twenty seconds, adding that we can never reiterate hand washing practice enough until our society is free of common and avoidable illness causing germs”.
“To this end, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social and Development is promoting this practice in camps for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) and temporary shelters of persons that have been affected by disaster incidences like; floods, insurgency, banditry, and more, curbing germs in the Ministry’s managed camps through hand washing practice would mitigate outbreak of diseases like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and the likes” Farouq said.
Farouq added that for this reasons, “the Ministry identifies with this campaign to make hand washing practice common for all. We again call all here to remember that hand washing is a personal hygiene responsibility that will have a great mitigating measure that will guarantee the health and safety of our society”.
In a keynote address by the Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, FNSE, FAEng, stated that the visit to the Medium Security Custodial Center in Kuje is to ensure that in line with this year’s theme, that everyone, everywhere, including inmates, have access to hygiene facilities as a basic necessity, adding that hand washing with soap reduces the incidence of lots of communicable diseases including the COVID-19 infection.
Sulieman added that, it is his belief that ‘the joint efforts of Government and stakeholders at all levels in raising awareness on hand washing at critical times would lead to the needed behavioral change, thereby producing a healthy society and an economically buoyant nation. He also enjoined everyone to model good hand washing behavior and help others practice hand washing at critical times’.
Earlier during a welcome address by the Controller General of Corrections, Ja’afaru Ahmed FCIMC, who was represented by the Deputy Controller General Yusuf G. Abubakar said the Nigerian Correctional Service is indeed elated to host such a significant occasion at a time when there is global pandemic which is greatly mitigated through the increased awareness of hand washing.
Ja’afaru appreciated the sponsors of the program, Ministry of Water Resources and the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry for always putting the Nigerian Correctional Service in their plans of water supply programmes, he also appreciated other development partners for choosing the less privileged of the society and the Medium Security Custodial Center, Kuje for the flag off.
Felicia Adeyemo
For: Deputy Director Information
October 15, 2020
