The Marketing Director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Oghuzan Silivrili, has said that only four per cent of Nigerians regularly wash their hands.

Silivrili said this during a media session to commemorate the 2014 Global Hand Washing Day on Wednesday, quoting a consumer study report.

“According to a consumer study, regular hand washing is only limited with four per cent in Nigeria. Regular hand washing is the first line of defence from preventable diseases like Diarrhea, to the latest menace of Ebola Virus Disease. If we want to protect our children from getting sick, the first thing to do is to educate them about washing their hands properly,” he said.

During the event, tagged ‘Give Life a Hand Campaign,’ Silivrili likened hand washing to a do-it-all vaccine capable of preventing children against diseases.

‘‘Ingraining the habit of hand washing could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. A vast change tilting towards hand washing behaviour is therefore critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing two-third of deaths among children under the age of five by 2015.

‘‘Hand washing is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, which claim the lives of millions of children every year. This is why the culture of hand washing with soap like Dettol soap should be embraced.’’

In his remarks, the General Manager, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Rahul Murgai, said the programme was in line with the goals of his organisation

‘‘Keeping in line with the spirit of our vision and heritage in Nigeria, we initiated our momentum campaign in 2014; a pledge to save 10 million lives helping Nigeria reach its Millennium Development Goals in terms of reducing infant mortality rate.

“As the next step to our commitment to improving the awareness of best hygiene practices in Nigeria, we are delighted to launch today our new Give Life A Hand campaign in Nigeria,” he said.

Punch

This is a serious indictment on Nigerians!