‘According to the statistics by World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in 2015, approximately 2.4 billion people live in poor sanitation conditions and one in every 10 people have no choice but to defecate in the open. Nigeria ranks 5th in the world among countries where open defecation is still a major problem. Accordingly, a large number of women and children in Nigeria are exposed to the risk of contracting infections due to unhygienic and poor sanitary conditions’.
Harpic, Nigeria’s No. 1 toilet cleaning brand from RB, has consistently championed the importance of good public hygiene, maintaining access to clean toilets and improve the general sanitation conditions in the larger interest of good public health. This year, Harpic has partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment to upgrade the toilet facilities within Apapa LGA in Lagos state.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the World Toilet day, Mr. Rahul Murgai, Managing Director, RB West Africa reinforced Harpic’s Vision and commitment in co-creating an eco-system to create scaled national awareness around the current national sanitation situation and core issues like open defecation that lead to diarrhoea and other potential health issues. He further stated that individual and collective participation from like-minded players will strongly support the program and efforts of the Federal and State government in improving the general health, hygiene and sanitation conditions in Nigeria.
Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment in his welcome address commended Harpic for their continued efforts and support in building a hygienic community and a healthy nation at large. Dr. Adejare stated that public awareness and the recent renovation of public toilets with support from Harpic is another step taken in the right direction. He encouraged greater partnership with the private and public sector to further accelerate their current efforts.
Speaking further at the event, Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi Omotola, Marketing Manager Harpic, stated that Harpic’s toilet hygiene program in Nigeria is a scaled initiative across 16 cities and reaches over 1 million homes annually to educate consumers about the importance of good toilet hygiene, maintaining clean toilets in their homes to prevent illnesses and request for their larger societal support in bringing a behavioural change to tackle the menace of open defecation. She urged the residents of the Apapa community to ensure the renovated and upgraded toilet facilities are well utilized and that proper sanitary practices will definitely improve public health.
Present at the event were notable dignitaries from the Lagos State Government, Honourable Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Heads of Government agencies and key executives from RB, makers of world renowned health, hygiene and home brands such as Dettol, Mortein, Harpic, Airwick, Durex, Nurofen and Gaviscon etc.
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