YALA – The Local Task Group on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (LTG-WASH) has been inaugurated to oversee WASH services in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The event, which was held in the Council headquarters in Okpoma, was organised by the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) with support from Self Help Africa (SHA).
In his keynote address, Dr Fred Okem, chairman of the Yala Local Government Council, lamented the health impact of open defecation.
“It is a welcomed opportunity. We all know our problem in Yala, we don’t have water. We go to the bush to defecate, it is not a good practice, we should avoid it,” he warned.
Dr Okem added “You know what we mean by task force, we are the foot soldiers, we are the educators. All of us should put our hands together to ensure this programme succeeds.”
The Yala LTG-WASH was inaugurated by the State Task Group on WASH Chairman, Mr Okon Ita who is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources. He charged the group to diligently carry out their duties.
The STG-WASH Chairman, represented by Engr Elemi Nkanu, a Director in the Ministry of Water Resources, asserted that “The task group will be responsible for harmonising all WASH initiatives in the LGA.”
He beckoned on all and sundry to support the LTG-WASH to ensure that Yala local government is once again ODF. “The need to revive the sector cannot be overemphasised,” the Chairman reiterated.
Prepping the Yala LTG-WASH, the National Coordinator of the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), Mr Attah Benson, said, “If you eat, you must defecate; therefore, we need to keep our toilets and environment clean. This meeting is to strengthen and change the way we do things.”
Charging the Yala Local Government Council Chairman, he asked that the “Chairman try to make sure the LTG-WASH works. We need a good system that functions. The government has a lot of roles to play.”
Speaking after her inauguration as the Yala LTG-WASH Chairman, Dr Augustina Okem said she was grateful to lead the group.
Pledging, she said, “We will dully carry our duties out. We will achieve the set goals.”