The 2023 Global Hand washing Day has come and gone but the principles behind the United Nations Initiative will linger beyond its symbolic celebration.
This is in line with the commitment of Rural Water and Environmental Sanitation Agency in Osun State to ensure that the fundamental objectives of Global Handwashing are kept alive in the minds of Nigerians, who are direct beneficiaries of measures to keep them healthy and functional.
Activities of RUWESA in Osun State before and during the celebration of Global Hand Washing Day were indicative of a Renewed Campaign by the Agency to reactivate citizens’ response to upholding personal Hygiene and Healthy Environment which are germane to public safety.
This year’s Global Hand-Washing Day held with the imprints of RUWESA conspicuously manifested. The Agency deployed its officials to public and work places where awareness of the United Nation’s global hand-washing was concretized apart from using the Media to market the programme to the mass of the people.
The awareness campaigns were taken to worship centres, markets and motor parks to sensitize the people on how regular hand washing can prevent contagious diseases and respiratory tract infections that can lead to death.
RUWESA also held a campaign round-trip at the Government Secretariat Abere that highlighted hand washing demonstrations and lectures by the Special Adviser and Management of the Agency which attracted participants from public schools,the Civil service and passers by.
The health sensitisation campaigns reawakened public interest in hand washing as a culture and a simple method of personal hygiene to keep germs and communicable diseases at bay
Authorities of RUWESA led by the Special Adviser Hon Lanre Odelade was a two time guest on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, where he responded to Questions on the significance of Global Handwashing and how the Agency intended to key into its objectives.
The Special Adviser was emphatic on the Agency’s determination to make strict adherence to personal Hygiene a culture of Habitation and Interaction by Indigenes and residents of Osun State.
His response to Questions on Breakfast Tray programme on OSBC 104.5FM reflected this commitment. “We are determined to sustain Global Hand Washing beyond October 5, and make it a culture because good Health is not tied to a particular time frame”
There are indications that RUWESA is committed to preventing communicable diseases by accentuating awareness as it was during the outbreak of Ebola and Covid 19 Virus. If awareness is currently slow, the Special Adviser said RUWESA has the capacity to raise its warning flags and will do it again this time around.
Hon. Odelade also disclosed on Eroya, another audience participatory Yoruba language programme on the same channel, RUWESA’s preparedness to activate community awareness and participation in disease preventive measures that can insulate the citizens in Rural, Semi urban and Urban centres of the state from avoidable diseases.
The Special Adviser was optimistic that Hygienic. Safe water is key to Government’s policy on the Environment.
The current efforts of Governor Ademola Adeleke to provide Boreholes in the 322 wards in all parts of the state, according to him “was a bold move to widen access to safe water for consumption by the people, who have been denied such opportunity for twelve (12) years by the previous APC administrations.”
“This is apart from on-going rehabilitation of water dams across the state”. The RUWESA Special Adviser added.
RUWESA is being rejuvenated to fulfill its statutory mandate as an Intervention Agency in coordinating the policies, programmes and activities of Government that are relevant to the attainment of a healthy and safe environment for the people of Osun State.
And what is in the pipeline for this?
Rebranding was his immediate response.
“A document has been packaged for ratification by Mr. Governor and will ultimately form a Road Map to successfully execute its core programmes and by the time this is done RUWESA will bounce back to its glorious days as a revenue yielding agency of government”, Odelade concluded.
