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Embrace Good Hygiene, Clean Environment, NIMechE’s Akingbagbohun Urges Nigerians
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The 2023 World Water Day held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
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NIMechE used the opportunity to organise an essay competition on water sanitation and hygiene.
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The institute’s president also urged Nigerians to be the change they want by practicing good hygiene.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the National Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), Engr. (Dr) Funmilade Akingbagbohun, has charged Nigerians to commit to good hygiene and environmental sanitation.
She made the charge at the Grand Finale and Maiden Annual Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Essay Competition, which was part of activities to mark 2023 World Water Day.
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In an interview with Eko Hot Blog on the sidelines of the event, Akingbagbohun stated that every Nigerian must inculcate the habit of good hygiene for a clean environment.
“I want to tell everyone out there, we need to be the change that we want from Nigeria. It is not enough for us to say it is the governor or the commissioner or the senators or the permanent secretaries that will be the change,” she said.
“They say ‘a little drop of water makes a mighty ocean’. Each and every one of us must become that change that we require in our society for us to have a clean environment.
“Take for instance, people would take pure water sachets and drop it on the road. It is not a sign of having a clean environment. It is important that each and everyone inculcates the way of sanitation and the way of clean environment.”
NIMechE national president, Engr. (Dr) Funmilade Akingbagbohun, speaking to Eko Hot Blog and other media platforms
Speaking on the essay competition, which NIMechE organised in collaboration with the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC), the engineering institute boss said over 80 schools from six education districts participated in the essay writing on topics related to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
She disclosed that 20 out of 80 schools qualified for the grand finale, with seven winning prizes.
Akingbagbohun stated that the competition was aimed at creating practical solutions to issues affecting water hygiene and environmental sanitation in Lagos communities.
“Only about 20 schools qualified for the grand finale and now we are able to pick only about seven at the final stage of the programme,” she told our correspondent.
“The essence of the competition is because we have a lacuna in the space of water sanitation and hygiene. Engineering is about problem solving. If you want to solve any problem, you need engineers. That is why we have put this annual WASH programme together for the purpose of creating solutions to the many challenges of water hygiene and sanitation in Nigeria.”
Asked if the programme will continue to hold annually, the NIMechE national president gave assurances the new culture will be sustained.
“Yes, we have put a lot of measures together [to ensure that]. We want to sincerely appreciate all the districts in Lagos State for bringing their students on to this project for us to be able to create more solutions to these problems they see in their communities,” she said.
“If we want to run an encompassing and holistic solution to the water problem in Lagos state, we need to be able to use the communities and the environment for us to be able to resolve that problem. That is why we have brought all those children together and they have done justice to creating solutions to the problems of water and hygiene in Lagos State.”
Akingbagbohun also commended the Lagos water corporation for its partnership, expressing hope that the advocacy through the event will improve the water supply to Lagos residents.
“I must commend the Lagos State Water Corporation for the work they have done so far within all the waterworks in Lagos State which we know that by the advocacy of this programme, more waterworks will come up in order for the populace to have clean and good water for drinking,” she added.
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