Human waste evacuators in Kano State have appealed to the state government to provide more disposal sites and trucks to improve sanitation services across the state.
Ibrahim Muhammad, Chairman of the Gidan Kowa Da Akwai Association of Human Waste Evacuators in Kano, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.
Muhammad said the association had more than 1,000 registered members, while many other operators remained outside the association.
He said human waste evacuation provided livelihoods for hundreds of workers and their families, noting that more young people were joining the sector.
Muhammad, who has spent 30 years in the business, said the association also worked to improve members’ welfare by educating them on safer and better methods of carrying out their duties.
He said the association regularly intervened in disputes between operators and customers, adding that it had successfully resolved several cases.
According to him, the association maintained a cordial relationship with the state Ministry of Environment, which invited its representatives whenever issues affecting the sector arose.
He added that members paid taxes to the government and received official support when necessary.
However, Muhammad identified inadequate trucks for transporting evacuated waste to designated disposal sites as a major challenge facing operators.
He said more than 20 people could depend on a single mini-truck to transport waste, making additional vehicles necessary to improve efficiency.
The chairman urged the government to provide more trucks and said the association’s ready to access government-backed loans to acquire vehicles and expand its operations.
He also called for the establishment of additional designated disposal sites, saying only one site at Janguza, Kwanar Mahuwa, was currently available.
Muhammad explained that some disposal sites previously provided by the government had become unusable after residential buildings were constructed around them.
He said the association was collaborating with the government to tackle improper waste disposal by some operators and discourage the involvement of children in the business.
Muhammad also appealed to members of the public to stop stigmatizing human waste evacuator, stressing that they played an important role in maintaining sanitation and protecting public health in the state.
source: NAN
