The Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, has urged Nigerians to adopt water-saving and climate-smart handwashing practices to promote hygiene and protect public health.
Lawal made the call on Monday during the commemoration of the 2026 Global Handwashing Day at Police Day Secondary School, Area 11, Abuja, under the theme, “Be a Handwashing Hero”.
Global Handwashing Day is an international campaign launched in 2008 to promote proper handwashing with soap, particularly at critical times, to prevent diseases and save lives. It is observed annually on Oct. 15.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Salihu Usman, the minister urged young people to use digital platforms, videos and social media campaigns to promote handwashing, noting that innovative communication could inspire millions to adopt healthier habits.
He said the theme encouraged individuals, families, schools, businesses and governments to promote hand hygiene through consistent actions that protect public health and strengthen communities.
Lawal called on governments at all levels, non-governmental organisations, community leaders and the media to intensify awareness campaigns, improve access to sanitation facilities and encourage behavioural change.
He stressed that regular handwashing with soap and running water remained one of the simplest and most affordable ways to prevent infections, including cholera, diphtheria, typhoid fever, Lassa fever and COVID-19.
According to him, proper handwashing can reduce the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by up to 50 per cent and respiratory infections by nearly 25 per cent.
The minister emphasised that promoting hygiene required collective action beyond the provision of sanitation facilities, adding that proper maintenance and management of such facilities were essential to preventing diseases and improving public health.
He said the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Environment and other ministries, departments and agencies, remained committed to implementing policies and programmes to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) nationwide.
Lawal urged Nigerians to wash their hands at critical times, including before eating, after using the toilet, after handling waste, or after coming into contact with animals.
He also called on schools, healthcare facilities and workplaces to provide accessible handwashing stations, while encouraging communities to strengthen hygiene education, particularly among children.
The minister commended the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Nestlé Nigeria Plc and Female Professionals in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (FEMinWASH) for supporting the event.
He also appreciated the management of Police Day Secondary School and other stakeholders for their contributions to WASH programmes in Nigeria.
Lawal said making handwashing a national habit would help reduce the burden on healthcare facilities and build healthier communities, urging Nigerians to lead by example.
“Clean hands save lives. The power to protect our families, communities and future generations lies in our hands,” he said.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the IFRC Country Support Platform, Mr Iliya Cheshi, said regular handwashing could save lives and prevent disease outbreaks.
Cheshi, an epidemiologist, stressed the importance of demonstrating that proper hand hygiene was a simple but effective public health measure in Nigeria and other countries.
He said educating children about hand hygiene would help them develop healthy habits and spread the message within their families and communities.
Cheshi cited the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, where he participated in response efforts, as an example of the importance of hygiene practices in controlling infectious diseases.
He also recalled the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, noting that regular handwashing remained an important measure for protecting public health.
He urged Nigerians to maintain proper hand hygiene, expressing optimism that sustained awareness and collaboration among stakeholders would help prevent diseases and safeguard communities.
Cheshi called for continued partnerships to promote handwashing, describing clean hands as a simple step towards building a healthier and safer Nigeria.
The Commandant of Police Day Secondary School, CSP Moses Bammai, emphasised the importance of teaching children proper handwashing habits from an early age.
Bammai described hosting the Global Handwashing Day programme as a source of joy, noting that it provided an important opportunity to educate young people on personal hygiene.
He said teaching children the importance of handwashing at a young age would help them develop lifelong habits that protect their health and promote cleanliness.
