The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, has urged collective action to improve handwashing practices and prevent diseases, saying handwashing with soap and water is non-negotiable.
Utsev made the call on Tuesday at a news conference in Abuja ahead of the 2026 Global Handwashing Day, scheduled for October 15.
He said handwashing was an affordable public health measure against diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and some respiratory infections.
The minister said this year’s theme, “Be a Handwashing Hero!”, aimed to promote consistent hand hygiene, especially during disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
“Being a handwashing hero does not require extraordinary powers. It simply requires a commitment to wash our hands with soap and water at critical times and encourage others to do the same,” he said.
Utsev said awareness campaigns must be backed by functional facilities, reliable water and soap supplies, supportive policies and behaviour-change interventions.
He said planned activities included media campaigns, a road walk and community sensitisation, while the main national celebration would hold on October 15 at Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
The minister urged state governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector to support efforts to expand access to handwashing facilities and strengthen hygiene education.
He said the campaign aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, which seeks adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.
Utsev also urged the media to sustain public awareness before, during and after the commemoration, stressing its role in promoting behaviour change and sharing practical hygiene messages.
“Let us all rise to the challenge and become handwashing heroes, not only on Global Handwashing Day but every day,” he said.
Earlier, the Director overseeing the Permanent Secretary’s Office, Mr Ali Dallah, called for sustained public education and functional handwashing facilities to promote hygiene and prevent diseases.
He was represented by Mr Habu Jamilu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation.
Dallah said the ministry, through the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) and its Department of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, was working with stakeholders to improve hygiene practices.
He urged the media and other partners to promote consistent handwashing and ensure access to soap and water.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that data from Nigeria’s 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) survey showed that about 69 per cent of households had no handwashing facility on their premises.
Although 99 per cent of households knew at least two critical times for handwashing, only 17 per cent of Nigerians had basic hygiene services, while eight per cent of household heads interviewed demonstrated proper handwashing with soap under running water.
The survey also found that 23 per cent of Nigerians lacked basic water supply services, highlighting gaps in access to water and hygiene infrastructure.