Katsina govt to spend N200m to curb open defecation

The Katsina State Government has made a move to curb open defecation which has been an issue of concern for a long time.

The state government provided N200million as a loan to assist no fewer than 1,650 poor households in constructing latrines in other to prevent open defecation and have a sanitized environment.

Alhaji Aminu Dayyabu, Executive Director, State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), on Thursday, revealed the development while signing an agreement on the project by RUWASSA, Local Government Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and some Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs).

The director explained that the state government would make the loan available to the beneficiaries at Zero interest through some Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) in the state.

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He said the state government had already released N50 million for disbursement to the beneficiaries in nine local government areas, adding that each of the beneficiaries would get about N40,000 loan to construct an improved latrine.

According to him, the local governments included: Dustin-ma, Safana, Batagarawa, Kaita, Rimi, Bakori, Faskari, Mai’adua and Sandamu.

He revealed that the programme which is tagged: ”Sanitation Marketing”, was sponsored by the state government and implemented under the auspices of Sanitation Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) of the UNICEF.

In his contribution, a sanitation marketing consultant, Mr Oluwaleke Olateru, revealed that that three micro-finance banks will carry out the project.

He said that the local government WASH departments would identify the beneficiaries, while the MFIs would determine their eligibility because they would bear 100 per cent risks. The consultant added that the MFIs would give the loans for six months after which they would recover it and give to another set of people.

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