Governor Ganduje declares state of emergency over defecation

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has declared a state of emergency on open defecation across Kano.

According to the Commissioner for Environment, Kabiru Getso, the Kano government declared an emergency to end open defecation.

A statement signed by Sanusi Kofarnaisa, the ministry’s public relations officer, which disclosed this on Sunday, quoted Mr Ganduje as making the declaration at the launch of the ‘Keep Kano Clean’ campaign on Saturday at the Government House.

It said that the governor ordered the ministries for environment and water resources and other relevant agencies to develop a road map to end the phenomenon.

“The state has also spent more than N20 million for the procurement of sanitation equipment for distribution to 100 self-help groups in the state.

“The items included wheel-barrows, shovels, rakes, diggers, cutlasses, personal protective equipment like nose masks, hand gloves, and rain boots, to protect the people participating in the sanitation exercise,” the statement explained.

Furthermore, the statement said the commissioner warned the public against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways.

Similarly, he also called for collective efforts to complement that of the government to keep Kano clean and free from the effects of flooding and other environmental challenges.

Ganduje who previously served as Rabiu Kwankwaso’s deputy governor twice, between 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015, launched a week-long ‘keep Kano clean’ campaign on Saturday, June 19.

The campaign tagged ‘Keep Kano Clean 2021’ is an annual project of Mr Ganduje’s administration, usually launched shortly before the rainy season.

The exercise featured a series of activities that included awareness creation on community participation in environmental hygiene and drains’ mass clearance across the state.