Sanwo-Olu: How we prevented cholera outbreak in Lagos

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the current cholera outbreak in the country would have spiralled out of control if the state government had not been proactive in controlling the spread of the disease.

Sanwo-Olu said but for the quick activation of the Lagos State’s incident command mechanism and surveillance system to control the contagious disease, the nation would have been grappling with the “catastrophic consequence” that could have resulted from the reoccurrence of the epidemic.

Lagos remains the most burdened state as the epidemic spikes in 31 states, with fatality rate put at 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Speaking at the 2024 Lagos International Water Conference held in Lagos on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Sanwo-Olu linked the spread of cholera to the drop in sanitation at the community level and the intake of contaminated water.

The nation’s vulnerability to waterborne diseases, the governor said, had reinforced the need for collaboration between the government and development partners to resolve issues surrounding provision of clean water.

He said discussions must be focused on actions and strategies that would ensure resources were allocated to the area they were most needed.

Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that the conference could end up as another talk shop if a decisive action could not be taken to address inadequacies in provision of safe drinking water to promote hygiene and sanitation in the country.

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Sanwo-Olu said: “Today (Wednesday), we are talking about cholera outbreak and we have seen the disease spread in last couple of weeks with not too serious fatalities like we had during COVID-19. We have seen a better containment strategy because of the proactive nature of this Government.

“With all sense of humility, it was the level of how well we were able to take proactive steps and transparently have a surveillance engagement, that we were able to stem the tide and reduce an effect of the disease that would not only be local, but will be very catastrophic for the nation.

“This cholera response has again demonstrated that water is a critical conversation in our movement to address this problem. We have been reminded by Fela Anikulapo Kuti that water does not have enemy. But, we are all not sincere and serious. It is not about lip service; it is about ensuring that we can put our resources where it is most needed.

“We need to move from lip service to actions that will help resolve the issues. Aside investing resources, we also need to identify the skills that are required.”

Sanwo-Olu said his administration considered provision of clean water as human rights, stressing that his government had raised spending to water and Sanitation sector in the last four years.

The governor said it was time to build a physical partnership that would turn around operational efficiency and service in the state-owned water corporation.

He urged the stakeholders to support Lagos State with technical expertise and infrastructure financing in order to complete the ongoing Adiyan Scheme II water project, which he said will produce 70 million gallons daily to Lagosians.

The Star