… Council chair urges residents’ support as 372 communities meet certification standard
By Onwa Ekor
Cross River government with support from UNICEF, has concluded the final state-level certification to declare Ogoja local government area Open Defecation Free (ODF), pending validation by the National Task Group on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (NTG-WASH).
A total of 372 communities in the LGA were assessed and certified compliant in June 2026 by the State Task Group on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (STG-WASH) under the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiative.
The exercise is part of the broader Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)/WASH programme jointly implemented by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSA) with UNICEF support.
Speaking during the process, Chairman of Ogoja LGA, Hon. Christopher Agbeh, commended residents for their cooperation and UNICEF for its support.
“Our people have shown remarkable discipline and commitment to this process. Their cooperation has brought us this far, and we are hopeful that Ogoja will soon be certified Open Defecation Free,” Agbeh said.
He assured that the council would continue supporting communities with the construction of household and public toilets including sustained sensitisation campaigns to meet all benchmarks for ODF certification.
State WASH-NTDs Facilitator, Kelly Odoni, said integrating WASH into NTD elimination was critical because medical treatment alone cannot guarantee sustainable results.
“NTDs such as Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis are closely tied to poor water and sanitation conditions,” Odoni stated.
He noted that Cross River’s WASH access data show only 49% of residents use basic water services, and just 32% have access to basic hygiene facilities.
“In an area like Ogoja, where open defecation and contaminated water sources were prevalent before our intervention, mass drug administration and hydrocele surgeries can only temporarily reduce disease burden. Without safe water, functional latrines, and consistent hygiene practices, transmission cycles continue,” he said.
Odoni added that UNICEF and partners have committed over ₦50 million to integrate WASH interventions in Ogoja, aimed at breaking the environmental conditions that sustain NTD transmission.
STG-WASH Team Lead, Engr. Kanu Eni, Director of Water Supply and Quality Control at the State Ministry of Water Resources, also lauded UNICEF and expressed optimism that the exercise would be extended to other NTD-burdened communities.
Traditional rulers in the area have equally backed the drive. The Clan Head of Nwang, Ntul Godwin Ejogor, said the certification would usher in “a new lease of life” for his community.
“It will be a thing of great joy if my community and indeed Ogoja becomes Open Defecation Free, because this will herald the elimination of waterborne diseases and other neglected tropical infections,” Ejogor said.
He disclosed that a community task force and WASHCOM have been activated to enforce compliance following a cholera outbreak last year that claimed children’s lives.
“We cannot risk the lives of our children again,” he added.
Early assessments by the Ogoja WASH Department confirm that the 372 communities meet national ODF validation standards and now await formal declaration by NTG-WASH.
