Gombe stool collectors task businessmen on provision of vehicles

Stool collectors in Gombe State have lamented over lack of adequate vehicles to evacuate stool after dredging latrines for their customers across the state.

Chairman of the stool collectors association in the state Musa Shehu made the lamentation during a multi-stakeholders consultative meeting on strengthening advocacy and improving service delivery for water, sanitation and hygiene in the state organised by Society for Water Sanitation (NEWSAN), Gombe State chapter.

He said their job is a humanitarian one as they help in safeguarding public health adding however that they are overstretched due to lack of enough vehicles for evacuation of the faeces they scoop out in the houses of clients across the state.

According to him, sometimes, when a client calls them, it could take them up to one week to attend to him due to the number of people demanding for their services on regular basis.

The chairman therefore called on wealthy individuals and businessmen to invest in the business by providing more vehicles to them to enable them carryout the essential services more efficiently and effectively.

Earlier, the state coordinator of NEWSAN Idris Lawanti explained that the meeting was meant to discuss problems associated with water supply, sanitation and hygiene and brainstorm on how to improve such services in the state by both government and stakeholders.

He noted that the participants included; relevant government agencies like Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Ministry of Water Resources,

Water Board, Sustainable Urban and Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA), ACRESAL, public toilets owners, stool collectors, religious organisations and other civil society organisations.