Red Cross urges Yobe communities to embrace handwashing
By Ahmed Abba
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Yobe branch, has urged communities to embrace regular handwashing as a critical step in preventing disease and promoting healthier living across the state.
Speaking in Damaturu on Wednesday during the 2025 Global Handwashing Day, themed “Our Hands, Our Future,” Branch Secretary Garba Alhaji-Mai stressed the need for daily hand hygiene, especially in vulnerable communities.
Alhaji-Mai explained that handwashing with soap and water was one of the simplest, most effective ways to stop the spread of infections like diarrhoea and respiratory diseases in homes and schools.
He said the NRCS was using the event to raise awareness, especially among schoolchildren and rural dwellers, where access to clean water and soap remained a challenge for many households.
“Handwashing is not just a health issue; it’s a matter of equity.
“Every family deserves access to the tools and knowledge needed to protect their health every day,” Alhaji-Mai said.
Muhammed Abubakar, State Health Promotion Manager, said the aim was to normalise hand hygiene practices, reduce disease outbreaks, and foster a stronger culture of community wellbeing beyond commemorative events.
Babagana Modu, Managing Director of the Yobe State Environmental Protection Agency (YOSEPA), said most communicable diseases spread from “hand to mouth,” highlighting the role of awareness in behaviour change.
Modu added that the state extended its hygiene campaign to motor parks and communities, with women playing central roles in educating families on hand hygiene and safe daily practices.
The event featured handwashing demonstrations, hygiene material distribution, and door-to-door campaigns by Red Cross volunteers, all aimed at reinforcing the life-saving habit of regular handwashing across Yobe State.
NAN
