By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The month of November 2023 has been quite engaging for practicing journalists in the United Nation Children Fund’s Field Office Bauchi (UNICEF FOB) focused states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe,Taraba and Plateau.
Two significant events that took place in the month of November, that saw the journalists converging in Bauchi and Gombe states, were the 2023 World Toilet Day (WTD) and World Children Day (WCD).
While the 2023 World Toilet Day (WTD) focused on provision of adequate toilets as a prelude to ensuring open defecation free (ODF) society to further strengthen community hygiene and improved health care, the World Children Day (WCD) on the other hand, choses climate change conditions as focused area of attention targeting children as enthusiasts to save the environment from further degradation.
According to WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping of 2021(NORM), 21 percent of Bauchi State population still practises open defecation, while 72 percent of schools and, 93 percent of healthcare facilities,and 97% of public places do not have access to basic WASH facilities. There is no much difference from what is obtainable from other States too.
UNICEF’s efforts in trying to ensure ODF communities in Nigerian has been ongoing for over fifteen years. Though the phase has been a bit slow, with only 105 certified Open Defecation Free (ODF) LGAs out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, none the less, the effort is steadily recording success.
At this year’s media dialogue to mark the World Toilet Day 2023 celebration with the theme, “Accelerating change, taking Simple Actions to bring about Change”, Officer-in-Charge/Chief of UNICEF Field Office Bauchi (FOB), Dr. Clement Adams said poor toilet hygiene practices have remained the common causes of diseases in most Communities.
He said 48 million Nigerians still practice open defecation and called on Government and other none State stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to redouble efforts to ensure that open defecation is eliminated in Nigerian Communities.
He said World Toilet Day is celebrated every year to bring attention to the importance of safe and hygienic toilets in the lives of human especially as it has negative effects on health, education, and socioeconomic development.
“The access to safe and clean toilets prevents the spread of diseases, the access to safe toilets means children, especially girls, and women are protected from the risks of attacks and abuse if they had to go into bushes to defecate, access to basic WASH services is integral to school enrolment, attendance, retention, and completion”, said Dr. Adams.
It can be stated without any fear of contradiction that UNICEF is the vanguard , amongst non-state actors, that is consistent in propagating community hygiene, respective State Governments too are leading the processes that would eventually lead to an ODF Nigeria in the long run.
This projection was reiterated recently during the media dialogue that marked this year’s WTD. At the meeting, Bauchi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Nuhu Zaki, expressed the State Government’s determination to work for the actualization of the SDG 6.2 target and the overall attainment of State-wide ODF by 2025.
He said the State Government delivered 8 out of the 20 Local Governments Areas of the State, as Open Defecation Free. The LGAs are, Dass, Warji, Shira, Gamawa, Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Toro and Katagum LGAs.
According to him, “5,934 communities were delivered ODF while two other LGAs are at different levels of becoming ODF, that is, Bauchi and Zaki LGA’s.
On how the State intends to sustain and upscale the ODF status of the LGAs, the Commissioner, who was represented by the General Manager of the States Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Engineer Adamu Sabo said that one of the sustainability processes Bauchi State adopted was the training of private entrepreneurs on sanitation marketing for improved latrine construction at household and public places like markets and motor parks, where 194 toilets business owners (TBOs), 582 masons were trained, leading to the construction and operations of 116 toilets in strategic public places.
The Commissioner further informed that sustained awareness is ongoing, through promotional activities by the Government and toilet business owners on the need for improved latrine uptake, leading to high demand for improved latrine by households.
Part of the activities designed by UNICEF field office Bauchi to mark this years WTD was a field trip for journalists to some of the ODF certified communities of Katagum LGA of Bauchi State.
Journalists were exposed to a first hand information from community members and some officials of the LG WASH unit on processes involved before an LGA is certify ODF.
The choice of Katagum LGA in observing 2023 WTD may not be unconnected with it’s current status as the latest LG in Bauchi State to be certified ODF.
According to an official , who coordinates WASH programme in Katagum local council, Saidu Alkali, all the communities in the LGA were inspected several times by both State and national officials before being certified open defecation-free.
Closely on the heels of commemorating World Toilet Day (WTD) 2023, comes World Children’s Day (WCD) 2023 and as usual, being a world body whose primary mandate is supporting Governments at all levels to provide improved life for vulnerable women and children, UNICEF Field office Bauchi marked the day with the media being fully engaged for the activity. This year’s WCD event had beamed its searchlight on how climate change effects children’s welfare and ability to grow up to their full potentials.
The innovative approach to this year’s WCD was having Children across the country leading discussions on the impact of climate change on their lives and futures.
The discussions covered various critical issues, including the direct health impacts of climate change on children, such as increased physical dangers, waterborne diseases, and malnutrition.
The event also shed light on the alarming rate of child displacement due to environmental disasters occasioned by climate change, with 650,000 children displaced from 2016 to 2021 due to floods.
According to a press statement by UNICEF, Nigeria is the second most vulnerable country worldwide in terms of children’s exposure to climate change with over 110 million Nigerian children being at risk, having confronted the harsh realities of rising temperatures, flooding, drought, and severe storms.
UNICEF Bauchi Field office also organized media dialogue that brought together Journalists drawn from the field office focused states with a view to keeping them abreast on the effects of climate change as it affects children.
The 2023 WCD event, as put together by the Bauchi Field office, commences in Katagum LGA of Bauchi State and then proceeded to Gombe State where UNICEF used the event to launch a program titled “Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC)” in Nigeria.
The CLAC project will seek to highlight climate risks to children and also provides an overview of the multi-sectoral climate mitigation and adaptation actions that UNICEF will implement in Nigeria from 2023 – 2027.
During the twin event of celebrating the 2023 WCD and launching of the CLAC project, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, was quoted as saying, “This celebration is a crucial platform for our children, the most affected by climate change, to voice their concerns and experiences. Their input is essential in shaping our collective path towards a sustainable and resilient future.”
Journalists drawn from the field office focused States were taken round to some schools where they had an interactive session with children on their perceptions of climate change, how it affect their lives and what actions they are taking to reduce the devastating effects of climate change etc.
Some of the children shared their thoughts on how UNICEF’s sensitization and awareness campaigns in schools on climate change had shaped their perception on climate change and that, that in turn, had turned them into advocates of sustainable environments.
It is instructive to note that UNICEF had, since 2019, supported States to include climate change in academic curriculum of the schools which was a welcome development for both State and none State actors that are championing the course of healthy and sustainable environment.
Between the schools curriculum and sustained awareness on climate change, students started establishing school gardens and nurseries where trees and other plants are nurtured with a view to curbing desertification and preserve the environment.
All the students that shared their experience agreed that the theory they were taught in class and the practical hands-on they acquired in preserving the environment through nurturing and planting trees within their schools and homes had snowballed into doing the same thing in the larger communities. The Students also disclosed that they equally passed the knowledge they gained to their parents, friends and the larger community
It was heartwarming to observed, during the field trip to some of schools as part of activities commemorating the 2023 WCD, the enthusiasm and zeal being demonstrated by even the teachers in the schools.
Some of the teachers who spoke to the visiting journalists said that UNICEF’s support towards bringing climate change knowledge into them and by extension the children at an early age came to the school in 2019.
They said UNICEF had trained them on how to pass the knowledge and also to inculcate attitudinal change of preserving environment to the students through tree planting and other environment-friendly approaches to doing things like the proper manner in the disposal of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.
“We had to mobilize our students to take control a part of the community that was threatened by erosion when we noticed the danger.
“We are already set to give two seedlings to each of the 500 students in the school to plant this year and continue to nurture them,” said one of the teachers, Baba Umar.
It is worth mentioning that the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF in conjunction with the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had also organized a quiz competition on climate change for three secondary schools in Katagum LGA.
The schools that participated in the quiz competition were Government Day Junior Secondary School, Yana, Shira LGA; Government Junior Secondary School Katagum LGA and Government Junior Secondary School, Anguwan Hadejia, Shira LGA..
Part of the outcomes of all the media engagement in UNICEF’s activities is the steady nurturing and mentoring, in development journalism, of select group of Journalists across the country.
A reporter with the Guardian Newspaper Abdulra’uf Oyewole, while sharing his experience in media engagement of the field office said that over years he come to realized that there is more to report on human needs especially at the grassroots level and that UNICEF provides such avenue where journalists comes face-to-face with the realities of what people need during field trips that were facilitated by UNICEF.
Oyewole also asserted that the data UNICEF shared with journalists also assist newsmen in developing good and evidence based stories that triggers positive outcomes aimed at improving living standard of mostly vulnerable target groups.
For Suzan Edeh of Daily Independent Newspaper, her engagement in UNICEF activities and programs has broadened her skills of reporting issues that concern women and children.
Of particular interest to Edeh was is the intermittent field trips to health facilities where UNICEF is supporting in the areas of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH).
“Having a first hand information on MNCH and the credible data being provided by UNICEF had enriched my capacity and reporting skills as a practicing journalist”, said Edeh.
Sharing his experience with our correspondent, Mr. Ishola Micheal Adeyemi, North East Zonal editor of Tribune Newspaper said that the collaboration between Journalists and UNICEF field office Bauchi has exposed him to the practicality of implementation of programs that is aimed at improving welfare of women and children.
Mr. Adeyemi said, “not only does UNICEF exposed journalists to how it’s programs and activities are implemented at the community level, but we are also trained on emerging issues like the unveiling of the recent HPV vaccination campaign, inclusion of climate change studies in schools curriculum, innovative approach to community hygiene, importance of 1000 days of life of newborn, social protection policy and other related components of human capital development that enables children reach their full potentials in life”.
While commending UNICEF field office Bauchi for the capacity training that has enhanced journalist’s productivity in development journalism, Mr. Adeyemi particularly acknowledged the contributions of the field office’s communication officer, Mr. Opeyemi Olagunju for maintaining an engaging and cordial relationship with journalists in the field office focused states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Plateau.
For Uzairu Dauda Bunga, a broadcaster with Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC), his engagement in the activities of UNICEF has horned his skills in the design and airing of his programs on radio.
“Having being informed of UNICEF activities and how they carry out implementation at the community level through presentations that are always backed by data, and then going to such communities to ascertain such implementation has actually changed my perception of designing radio contents for listeners. I now focused more on the communities and their needs or challenges with a view to advocating for change that could impact positively in their lives”.
“With the series of capacity training conducted for Journalists by UNICEF, I can competently talk about Maternal and Child health, Nutrition, Social Protection Policy, WASH, Basic Education etc in my radio programs.
Suffice to say that the combined efforts of UNICEF and the media is yielding positive outcomes in supporting States through advocacy to target audience in addressing gaps and challenges observed by the Journalists in their reports and editorials.
(Some pictures used are for illustrative purposes only)