FG flags off National Youth Volunteer Programme to curb COVID – 19
By Abba – Eku Onyeka
Abuja
In other to curb the spread of the dreaded COVID – 19 pandemic that has been ravaging the globe, the Federal Government (FG) has yesterday flagged off National Youth Volunteer Programme Campaign to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
The FG will carry out this project through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
In his key note address at the flagging – off of the programme at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, yesterday, the Honorable Minister, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu said that the programme would involve engagement of 100 youth volunteers in each of the 774 local government areas in the country for community sensitisation and awareness creation on safe water sanitation and hygiene practices for Coronavirus prevention for about three months.
Adamu informed that apart from the health problems created by the disease globally, the pandemic, according to him hindered youths, mostly Nigerians and Africans in general from getting gainful employment. He informed that the idea of the programme was born out of the initiative of the FG under the National Economic Sustainability Plan to rebuild the economy and stimulate job creation. He however added that his Ministry set up a National Wash Emergency Response Committee on COVID 19 at the outbreak of the pandemic, adding that he chairs the Committee whose members are all the 36 commissioners responsible for water and sanitation across the states of the federation.
Engr Suleiman Adamu said in order to ensure that there is access to water in the fight against the pandemic, the FG through his Ministry rehabilitated and reconstructed about 495 boreholes in the states, even as he added that they agreed to set up the volunteer youths to project the message of adoption of wash practices for COVID – 19 prevention, as well as productive engagement of the countriey’s teeming youths.
Still sending the message across, he said: “As you may be aware, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is inimically linked to disease prevention and in the case of COVID – 19, regular handwaving with sa ppl under running water for 20 seconds is one of the non pharmaceutical measures for the prevention of the in pandemic. A recent study showed that regular handwash with soap can reduce the likelihood of COVID – 19 infection by 36%.
The volunteers, according to him will be trained on communicating and demonstrating good sanitation and hygiene that can help contain the spread of the pandemic and curtail the practice of open defecation in Nigeria, adding that they are expected to engage at household, community and institutional levels in passing on the messages.
