The Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, FNSE, has reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and promoting strategic collaboration to accelerate the momentum of the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign in order to achieve an open defecation-free Nigeria by 2030.
Prof. Utsev made this known when he led the top management team of the Ministry on an advocacy and sensitization visit to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr. (Mrs.) Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni, on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the Obasanjo Hall of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja.
The Minister described the visit as an occasion to celebrate the elevation of Dr. (Mrs) Walson-Jack and an opportunity to seek strategic collaboration to build on the successes she recorded as a Permanent Secretary and Sanitation Ambassador in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation. He commended her for using her current position to continue championing sanitation reforms.
“We are here not just to celebrate one of our own, but also to consolidate our partnership in advancing the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign. The Head of the Civil Service has been instrumental in supporting this campaign, and her office is a strategic partner in ensuring success,” Prof. Utsev said.
Highlighting the progress of the Clean Nigeria Campaign, the Minister disclosed that 148 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have attained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, with Jigawa State still holding the record as the only certified ODF State. He noted that 33 out of 34 LGAs in Katsina State have also attained ODF status, placing it as the second state closely following Jigawa.
He emphasized the need for both infrastructure and behavioural change, advocating for a strategic roadmap to accelerate the campaign’s success. This, he explained, would involve providing adequate sanitation facilities across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), integrating sanitation and hygiene indicators into institutional performance assessments, sensitizing the civil service workforce on personal responsibility for sanitation, ensuring the maintenance of clean, accessible, and disability-friendly toilets in government offices, and promoting a “No Open Defecation” culture throughout the Federal Workforce.
In her remarks, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. (Mrs.) Didi Esther Walson-Jack, reaffirmed her commitment to using her office to promote the Clean Nigeria Campaign, stressing that collaboration and partnerships are key to achieving its objectives. She commended the Ministry for achieving 47 additional ODF LGAs since her departure less than two years ago and urged intensified efforts to ensure more states and LGAs attain ODF status.
Acknowledging the challenges facing the campaign, Dr. (Mrs.) Walson-Jack expressed confidence that they will be overcome through strong institutional collaboration and sustained advocacy.
She announced that her office had developed a Policy Protocol on the Use of Federal Secretariat Buildings, which sets sanitation standards and ensures inclusive toilet access, particularly for persons with disabilities. The policy, currently awaiting concurrence before submission to the Federal Executive Council, aims to guarantee clean, functional, and accessible toilets in government facilities once approved.
Highlighting ongoing initiatives, the HoCSF mentioned the recent commissioning of a remodelled foyer and reception area with retrofitted toilets to serve persons with disabilities. She emphasized that government facilities, especially toilets, must be treated with dignity and maintained to high standards. She called on all MDAs to actively support the Clean Nigeria Campaign and work towards a cleaner, healthier, and open defecation-free Nigeria. She also pledged her support to feature the campaign in the activities of her office.
Present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah; other Permanent Secretaries in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Directors and other senior officials in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service; Directors in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation; and the National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign.
Highlights of the visit included the signing of the Visitor’s Register, exchange of gifts, and a facility tour of the remodelled Servicom Office and Reception.
Signed
Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan
Director, Information and PR
5 August 2025
