From OUR REPORTER
Plateau State has called on residents to make handwashing with soap and clean water a daily habit as part of efforts to prevent diseases, improve sanitation and protect public health.
The call was made during the 2026 Global Handwashing Day celebration at the Local Education Authority Central Primary School in Langtang North Local Government Area, where government officials, health and education stakeholders, traditional rulers, teachers and pupils gathered to promote proper hand hygiene.
The General Manager of the Plateau Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (PRUWASSA), Godfrey Dashuhar, pointed out that proper handwashing remained a simple but effective measure for preventing the spread of diseases.
He urged residents to practise hand hygiene consistently, stressing that communities, schools and households all had a responsibility to promote sanitation and healthy living across the state.
The Director of Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion, Magdalene Jibrin, explained the objectives of the celebration, highlighting the need to raise public awareness about the importance of hand hygiene.
She noted that Global Handwashing Day was designed to encourage behavioural change by making proper handwashing an everyday practice, particularly among schoolchildren and members of the wider community.
Jibrin urged parents, teachers, community leaders and relevant institutions to sustain the campaign beyond the annual celebration, stressing the importance of ensuring that the lessons learnt translated into lasting changes in people’s daily habits.
The Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council, Pirfa Tyem, represented by the Supervisory Councillor for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Blessing Freeman, reaffirmed the council’s commitment to supporting sanitation and hygiene initiatives.
He called on schools, households and communities to embrace proper handwashing and work collectively to protect public health.
Similarly, the Education Secretary of Langtang North, Tabitha Wazhi, commended PRUWASSA and other stakeholders for promoting handwashing among pupils, describing schools as important centres for developing healthy habits from childhood.
Wazhi pledged the continued support of the education sector in advancing hand hygiene through school health clubs, awareness campaigns and regular hygiene education.
She also encouraged teachers and pupils to practise proper handwashing consistently and pass the knowledge on to others.
The Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Langtang North, Julius Rabo, described handwashing with soap and clean water as an essential component of disease prevention and community health.
He reaffirmed his department’s commitment to sustaining hygiene awareness at the local government level, urging residents to adopt proper handwashing practices in their homes, schools, markets and other public places.
The Chairman of the House Committee on WASH at the Langtang North Local Government Legislative Council, Mandir David, stressed the importance of community participation and institutional support in ensuring the success of sanitation and hygiene programmes.
She pledged the committee’s commitment to supporting policies and initiatives that would promote access to proper hygiene practices, while urging residents to take personal responsibility for maintaining clean and healthy environments.
Representing the traditional council, the District Head of Kuffen, Bala Zwaltur, called on traditional rulers to use their influence to promote handwashing and other healthy sanitation practices within their communities.
He assured stakeholders of the traditional institution’s commitment to sustaining the programme at the grassroots, urging community leaders, parents and residents to make handwashing a daily habit and encourage others to do the same.
A major highlight of the celebration was a practical demonstration of the proper steps for handwashing, involving pupils, the PRUWASSA General Manager, Dashuhar, and the Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council, represented by Freeman.
The exercise reinforced the importance of washing hands with soap and clean water at critical times, particularly before eating or handling food and after using the toilet.
The event also featured song presentations by the school’s health club and local government area facilitators, who used music and creative performances to educate participants on the importance of hand hygiene.
As part of efforts to encourage the adoption of proper handwashing practices, soap and other handwashing materials were distributed to traditional rulers, dignitaries and other stakeholders.
Pupils also received soap to encourage them to maintain proper hand hygiene both at home and in school.
The celebration ended with a call on individuals, families, schools and communities to sustain the handwashing campaign beyond the annual event and incorporate the practice into their everyday routines.
Our correspondent reports that the central message of the celebration was that everyone must become a handwashing hero by making proper handwashing with soap and clean water a daily habit.