The Oyo State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have reaffirmed their commitment to promoting hand hygiene as a key step toward preventing diseases and sustaining public health.
This was the focus of the 2025 Global Handwashing Day celebration held at the Western Hall, Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, Ibadan, organized by the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (OYORUWASSA) in collaboration with UNICEF Lagos Field Office.
Speaking at the event, OYORUWASSA Chairman, Alhaji Babalola Afobaje, described regular handwashing with soap and clean water as a simple but powerful way to stay healthy.
He disclosed that the agency had provided ten solar-powered boreholes in Ona-Ara, Egbeda, and Ibarapa East Local Government Areas to ensure access to clean water in schools and health centres.
Afobaje urged residents to maintain the facilities, noting that “handwashing can only be sustained where clean water is available.”
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Oyo State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Ecology and Water Resources, Hon. Anthony Ogunsola, praised OYORUWASSA for reducing waterborne diseases through its interventions.
UNICEF WASH Specialist, Lagos Field Office, Mr. Monday Johnson, represented by Mr. Sakiru Otusanya, said most preventable diseases stem from poor hygiene practices, urging participants to become “handwashing ambassadors” in their homes and communities.
The event, themed “Be a Handwashing Hero,” featured demonstrations of proper handwashing techniques and the distribution of hygiene materials.
