The federal government has declared Dass as the first local government area in the Northern part of the country to attain the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
Making the declaration in Dass, the headquarters of the local government in Bauchi State Monday, the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, said with this feat, Dass is now the second local government after Obaniku in Cross River State to attain the ODF status.
Presenting the ODF certificate to Dass through the state government, the minister explained that Obaniku in Cross River State was the first, and Dass in Bauchi State is the second in the country to attain the ODF status.
“Today, I’m excited that Dass LGA has come on board as the first LGA in Northern part to be ODF and the second in the country,” he said.
Adamu said that with the high priority his ministry placed on water, sanitation and hygiene and the support of development partners, the country has moved close to achieving ODF by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 2030.
Adamu congratulated the people of Dass LGA and Bauchi State for the achievement, as well as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UK Aid for supporting the implementation of Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) under which this project is recorded.