Experts Urge Hand-Washing Culture to Combat Illnesses
Experts have called for a sustained hand-washing culture as a key strategy for combating hygiene-related illnesses across Nigeria. The renewed push, under the Clean Naija Initiative, aims to expand hygiene education and reach six million schoolchildren by 2030. This is intended to strengthen preventive health practices, particularly among children, to reduce the burden of avoidable diseases linked to poor sanitation.
The latest phase of the intervention was officially launched in Lagos through the Dettol Hygiene Quest Phase 3 initiative, jointly implemented by Dettol, Nigeria’s leading hygiene brand, in partnership with The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA). The launch took place at Eko Akete Junior Secondary School on Lagos Island and featured interactive hand-washing demonstrations, hygiene education sessions, and the distribution of antibacterial soaps and learning materials to students.
Operating under the Clean Naija framework, the initiative is designed to scale up hygiene awareness across schools, communities, and health facilities nationwide. The programme seeks to achieve a 20% increase in hand-washing practices, a 10% reduction in diarrhoea cases, and a measurable decline in school absenteeism associated with preventable hygiene-related illnesses.
Officials disclosed that since its inception, the Hygiene Quest programme has reached more than 440,000 beneficiaries across 716 schools, 36 healthcare facilities, and 456 communities. It has delivered structured lessons on hand-washing, cleanliness, and healthy living to children, mothers, and families. Building on these outcomes, Phase 3 is expected to deepen its reach in underserved communities while expanding behavioural change interventions. It targets more than 750,000 students and 90,000 pregnant women and new mothers, contributing to an overall goal of 800,000 beneficiaries in 2026.
The programme will also reinforce correct hand-washing practices and promote the use of hygiene products such as Dettol Original Antibacterial Bar Soap, which organisers said offers germ-fighting protection for up to 12 hours with regular use.
Speaking at the launch, the Head of External Affairs, Media and Partnerships at Reckitt, Cassandra Uzo-Ogbugh, said early hygiene education remains critical to shaping lifelong healthy habits among children. Represented by the Brand Manager for Dettol, Toluwase Abikoye, she noted that the partnership with WBFA has continued to deliver measurable improvements in public health outcomes. According to her, independent evaluations of earlier phases recorded declines in communicable disease symptoms among students, including 9.3% in Abuja, 12.3% in Lagos, and 15.7% in Kwara, alongside reductions in school absenteeism. She said the organisation remains committed to scaling up impact through Phase 3 to ensure more families are equipped with the knowledge needed to prevent avoidable illnesses.
In her remarks, the President of WBFA, Toyin Ojora Saraki, represented by the organisation’s Director of Programming and Reporting, Dr Osinachi Onyeoziri, emphasised that hygiene education is central to improving child health, learning outcomes, and national development. She stressed that healthy children are better learners and future leaders, noting that sustained investment in hygiene and maternal health programmes is vital to strengthening communities across Nigeria.
