Resources / Political Party Dialogue on Sanitation in the Run-up to Nigerian General Elections 2011

Summary

Nigeria is preparing for the upcoming general elections in 2011.  The National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) monitored the campaign promises made by the political parties and noticed that sanitation was not being prioritised by them, although the country is facing huge challenges in terms of sanitation coverage and under-5 mortality. In an effort to raise the importance of sanitation as an issue to be addressed by the political parties and incoming administration, the WASH Ambassador Engineer Ebele Okeke in collaboration with the NTGS organised a political dialogue with political parties on sanitation and hygiene. The event  was held on 17 March 2011  successfully with the active support of WaterAid, NEWSAN and the WASH Media Network.

The press was well represented at the dialogue with leading media organizations invited to cover the first ever political dialogue on sanitation. It is expected that civil society members will deepen advocacy and lobbying efforts to leverage the press coverage towards increasing the profile of sanitation at both policy and public arenas. Seven political parties were invited to participate in the dialogue, however only three participated.

There are plans to broadcast the recorded programme on a national TV to further emphasize the importance of prioritizing sanitation in the country and draw attention to commitments made by the political parties.