Bauchi, UNICEF working on faecal sludge project to turn human waste into wealth

Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi

The Bauchi State Government in partnership with development partners like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Lixir and the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation have built faecal sludge to contain human wastes for recycling to produce farm input.

The move was necessitated by the government’s resolve to end open defecation in the state. Nine of 20 local government areas of the state have been certified open defecation free (ODF) while three others are waiting for certification.

UNICEF’s officials made this known on Wednesday at the Bauchi Field Office while interacting with the press on the efforts to free the state from open defecation. A Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Consultant with UNICEF, Abdulsalam Abdullahi, said that what will spark the attainment of ODF by the remaining LGAs is the efforts in creating wealth from the waste and having more private sector participation.

According to him, the Bauchi Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) and the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) in partnership with others developed the faecal sludge to end open defecation.

“There is value in this faeces, if you can tap energy from it, or utilize it effectively and turn it to organic manure, we are good to go,” Abdulsalam said.

He added that: “Right now in Bauchi we are beginning to see companies from Abuja coming to collaborate with some private sector to put up a farm, where they plant fruits and ensure that they stick to using organic fertilizer and the companies become the sole marketing partners with these private sectors, very soon when you see human faeces in Bauchi in the open you will be shocked.

“You won’t be seeing someone throwing away his money. It will interest you to know that UNICEF’s next big move on sanitation is an innovative sanitation drive. Let’s replicate what has worked well and see how we can improve on having safely managed sanitation that is affordable.

“Leading innovations and creating opportunities for private sector participation are part of the key drives that UNICEF is actually pushing for.”

He commended Governor Bala Mohammed administration for being proactive in ensuring that the state became open defecation free.

Abdulsalam said that Bauchi state is leading in Faecal Sludge management. “Faecal Sludge management strategic guideline was recently launched by the state government. The guideline is to help Bauchi state implement faecal Sludge management. Bauchi is leading in Faecal Sludge management activity in the whole of Nigeria because no state in Nigeria has launched the guideline for faecal Sludge management except Bauchi state,” he said.

Also speaking, Nanbam Michael Dawap of UNICEF WASH Unit, said that the whole idea is to separate human from waste.

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