Traditional rulers in Bauchi State have re-iterated their determination to sensitize politicians on the need to provide social amenities to the people when elected into office.
The Emir of Ningi, Alhaji Yunusa Danyaya, and his Dass counterpart, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, stated this when members of Society for Water and Sanitaion (NEWSAN) and Wash Media Network paid an Advocacy visit in their palaces yesterday.
NEWSAN and WASH media Network are working in partnership with Water Aid Nigeria in implementing the strengthening Water Sanitation and Hygine Delivery Systems (SWADS) project which is aimed at strengthening citizens engagement on Vote4WASH campaign.
The project is funded by Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).
In their separate specch, Alhaji Bilyaminu Othman said that previously politicians didn’t care about the plight of the people but “we will make sure we educate and sensitize them on the need to sign pact with the people that when they are elected in office, they will fulfill their promise of providing social amenities to them.
“Vote for WASH initiative is welcome because previously politicians don’t sign pact with the people so they don’t care about their plight so Vote4WASH pose challenge to politicians who aspires for elective offices.
“We will support Vote4WASH campaign because Dass has benefited a lot from this kind of intervention which one of them resulted to declaration of Dass as the second ODF state in the country,” he said.
On his part, Alhaji Yunusa Danyaya assured to support WASH campaign in the state, saying, “Already I am a vanguard of hygiene and national leader for sanitation and hygiene for 6 years in this country. I want to assured that we are committed to support towards vote4 WASH campaign success to any level of the society.
“From my perspective Vote4 WASH campaign will work well because with this initiative we will also close the existing gaps of poor sanitation and hygiene,” he said.
The monarch stressed the need for more enlightenment campaign that will educate the citizens well on hygiene practices.
He said that the major problem in Nigeria and the entire Africa was environmental sanitation issues that relate to poor sanitation, adding, “Lack of clean water in the continent is the source of all those communicable diseases such as malaria, cholera, among others”.
Besides, the leader of the delegation, Sukumun Ezekiel, Programme Manager of Women Development Association for Self Sustenance said the Vote4WASH campaign is an advocacy strategy designed to mobilize citizens to demand clean water, improved Sanitaion and Hygine practices (WASH) with the power if their votes.
According to him, “the concept of this campaign is to use the 2019 general election and post election period as an opportunity to highlight and campaign for the availability and accessibility of WASH services in Bauchi state. Outcome of the Vote4WASH campaign will contribute to achieving several sustainable development goals.
“Activities to be conducted under the Vote4WASH campaign include awareness and sensitization meetings with stakeholders, development of the vote4WASH pledge cards, launching of the Vote4WASH campaign and media engagement among others. All these will be geared towrds government prioritizing the WASH sector for increased funding and reducing over dependence on donor agencies.”