In a pivotal effort to enhance public health across Udenu Local Government Area, Chairman Aka Eze Aka held an engaging interactive session with Local Government Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) program officers at the Legislative wing of the Udenu LG Secretariat today. The meeting drew representatives from all ten political wards and 31 autonomous communities within the LGA who are field officers of the program, emphasizing a collective commitment to improving hygiene and sanitation standards.
The session commenced with an address from Barr. Dominic Obetta, the Local Government Coordinator of the program, who stressed the importance of championing disease control through rigorous personal hygiene and environmental sanitation practices. “It’s imperative that we understand the profound impact of regular handwashing habits,” Obetta stated, urging the officers to lead by example within their communities.
WASH, a program endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is focused on eradicating open defecation and combating poor hygiene practices in local communities. Its core mission highlights the necessity of educating communities—especially school children—on basic sanitation and hygiene practices, with a specific emphasis on providing water and sanitation infrastructure projects in Udenu and beyond.
The initiatives discussed are rooted in lessons learned during the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990), which underscored the disparities in accessing safe drinking water versus sanitation services. As the WASH program aims to provide safe and reliable water sanitation services to over 1.1 billion people lacking access to safe water and more than 2.6 billion lacking adequate sanitation, the local officers were called upon to play an instrumental role.
Chairman Aka Eze Aka challenged the program officers to disseminate the principles of WASH to every corner of Udenu, stating, “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every community member is educated on the importance of sanitation and hygiene, as the first step in disease control protocol.”
He also urged the officers to support Governor Peter Mbah’s WASH initiatives to attract essential resources—such as boreholes and sanitary facilities—necessary for community well-being. “My administration is committed to honoring our side of the partnership. Together, we can attract both state and WHO resources to bolster our community’s health standards,” Aka affirmed.
Aka was accompanied by two councillors—Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Odoh, representing Obollo Afor Ward (under whose leadership the immediate past LG Legislative Assembly passed the Udenu anti-open defecation law 2023), and Hon. Patrick, representing Obollo Etiti Ward—as well as Hon. Onyekachi C. Ugwu and Dr. Jude Okwudili.
The interactive engagement marks a significant step towards driving behavioral change at the grassroots level, aimed at fostering a healthier, more sustainable Udenu. As local leaders embrace the WASH initiative, they are poised to make meaningful strides in enhancing community health and wellbeing, laying a solid foundation for future advancements in sanitation and hygiene practices throughout the area.
