By Muhammad Amaan
The Vulnerable People Support and Development Initiative (V-PeSDI), has conducted a follow-up advocacy visit to the Kano State Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, pushing for gender-responsive and disability-friendly public toilet facilities in markets across the state.
The advocacy visit, which took place on September 23, 2026, in Kano, is part of V-PeSDI’s ongoing campaign to promote inclusive environmental sanitation and ensure public infrastructure meets the needs of all users.
Speaking during the visit, the Coordinator of V-PeSDI, Aftahana Dahiru Sarina, said access to safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation facilities is critical to public health, environmental protection and social inclusion, noting that markets daily serve large numbers of women, children, elderly persons and persons with disabilities who are often neglected in toilet designs.
According to him, the visit was aimed at following up on issues raised during a previous engagement with the Ministry, advocating for the integration of gender and disability considerations into the design and construction of public toilets, and seeking concrete commitments from the government.
She said the team emphasized that public toilets must go beyond availability to include features such as accessible entrances, adequate space for wheelchair users, accessible pathways, appropriate toilet dimensions, handwashing facilities, privacy, safety and proper separation where necessary.
The team met with the Director of Pollution Control of the Ministry, Mallam Ibrahim Nasiru, who received the delegation and expressed support for the initiative.
He made a major commitment that henceforth, any individual or organisation seeking approval to construct a public toilet facility in the state must commit to providing gender-responsive and disability-friendly facilities as a condition for approval.
He said the requirement would form part of the Ministry’s approval considerations for all new public toilet projects in markets and other public spaces.
The V-PeSDI coordinator also proposed that the Audu Bako Secretariat be used as a demonstration point for inclusive public toilets, and committed to organising a sensitisation session for relevant inspectors of the Ministry on inclusive toilet design.
V-PeSDI described the commitment as a significant step towards institutionalising inclusive sanitation standards and ensuring that newly constructed facilities are accessible, safe and dignified for diverse users.
The organisation, however, stressed that sustained engagement, monitoring and collaboration among the Ministry, civil society, market stakeholders and organisations representing persons with disabilities would be needed to translate the commitment into action across Kano State.
