Lagos, Harpic Partner to Promote Hygiene, Good Health
In line with its vision for a healthy Nigeria and to commemorate the 2017 World Toilet Day, toilet-cleaning brand of Reckitt Benckiser, RB, Harpic, has joined force with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment to raise awareness on the importance of sustainable sanitation to achieve sound health and economic growth. This initiative followed the recent report from the World Health Organisation, WHO, which states that approximately 315,000 children die every year as a result of poor sanitation and unsafe water caused by diarrhoea
Another report from the World Toilet Organisation further revealed that 40% of the world’s population lacked access to toilet despite the fact that a clean and safe toilet plays a major role in human dignity and well-being.
The partnership thus arose on the need to draw attention to the link between a clean toilet and wellness as well as economic growth especially as the silence surrounding sanitation crisis is beginning to break as evidenced by the Sustainable Development Goal’s inclusion of sanitation on its global development agenda which calls for universal access to adequate and equitable sanitation and an end to open defecation by 2030.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s World Toilet Day, “WasteWater”, at the sensitisation programme in Lagos, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Mr Abiodun Bamgboye, noted that waste water management which is a potentially affordable and sustainable source of water, energy, nutrients and other recoverable materials is usually undervalued and neglected in this clime.
Bamgboye said, “This is why we constantly educate the sewage management authorities on proper disposal and recycling of wastewa- ter which should be seen as a resource and not a burden.
“There are many treatment processes and operational systems that will allow us to use wastewater to meet the growing water demand in growing cities, support sustainable agriculture, and enhance energy production and industrial development, thus contributing to a more sustainable, efficient and equitable water use worldwide. Today, Harpic, our regular partner is joining force with us in providing public awareness to the community. The ministry of environment welcomes such corporate support and would encourage other brands to follow suit.”
Also addressing the mammoth crowd at the Ojodu Berger park, Managing Director of RB, Mr. Rahul Murgai, explained that women and children were more exposed to the risk of contracting infections caused by poor sanitation which impacts on health, dignity, and safety. This explains why the organisation has taken on the challenge of creating awareness and educating Nigerians on the importance of hygienics.
He added: “Globally, over 80% of all the wastewater from our homes, cities, industry and agriculture flows back to nature without being treated or reused, thus, polluting the environment, and losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials. As such, quite a large number of people consume water that is already contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid polio and other diseases.
While harping on cleanliness, Murgai also called for adequate attention to solid waste, wastewater and also industrial accumulated waste management to help avoid chain of diseases.
As part of efforts to consolidate on its mandate, the Osogbo Living Spring Lions Club has resolved to boost its humanitarian service in Osun State to improve quality of lives.
The President of the club, Lion Stephen Yebua, made this known at the occasion of the public presentation to announce the new leadership of the club.
According to Yebua, in line with the global objectives of the clubs which majorly was to serve humanity, his administration was determined to support the effort of the government at raising lives in the society much more than before.
He disclosed that the club had planned to execute over N5million worth of projects within its jurisdiction which would see to education, health, youth empowerment, philanthropical donations, amongst others.
“Osogbo Living Spring Lions Club came into existence in the year 2006 and has always reached out to the society in several ways like donation of food items and daily needs to school, people with special needs, motherless babies homes and rendering of health services, among others. The Club has also commenced the constructions of vocational centers and halls for use by the communities.
“For the new administration, we will not slow down the tempo, we will only strive to do more and increase our impact in the society. We have done our homework and carefully figure out the needs of our people. For example, in the course of our research, we discovered a particular secondary school where its handicapped students use the classroom also as the hostel, our members have decided to take this up and concluded to build a befitting girls’ hostel during the Lions year 2017/2018.This is just one of our numerous projects,” Yebua said.