By Becky Maina
In the busy Gombe Main Market, Malam Khalid Umar runs a business that, to some, might seem humble: maintaining public toilets. Yet, as he proudly states, “This work may be dirty to some, but it’s clean money to us and someone has to do it.”
For decades, this “clean money” has fed his family, paid school fees for seven children, and even allowed him to build a home and employ young men. Malam Khalid’s story isn’t just one of resilience; it’s a living testament to the untapped economic and social potential within Gombe’s sanitation sector.
This potential, however, is being held back by a critical bottleneck: the dire shortage of proper sewage tanks for waste evacuation.
Malam Musa Shehu, Chairman of the Gombe State Liquid and Solid Waste Evacuation Association, knows this challenge His association, dedicated to environmental cleanliness and job creation, constantly battles with a single, frequently breaking-down sewage tank.
This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a barrier to public health, a limit on income generation, and a major roadblock to realizing Gombe’s broader vision for Faecal Sludge Management (FSM).
FSM is far more than just waste disposal. As experts like UNICEF’s Nambam Michael Dawap and Gombe State University’s Prof. Wilson Danbature emphasize, a robust FSM system can be a powerhouse for job creation, revenue generation, and disease prevention.
From desludging services to operating treatment plants and even recovering valuable resources, FSM offers a comprehensive value chain ready to be harnessed.
But without the fundamental tools specifically, a sufficient fleet of functional sewage tanks this dream remains largely out of reach. These tanks are the crucial link between Gombe’s dedicated sanitation workers and the efficient processing of waste that can safeguard public health and fuel economic growth.
Investing in more sewage tanks isn’t just about infrastructure; it’s about empowering Malam Khalid and countless others like him.
It’s about recognising the dignity in their essential work, creating more “clean money” opportunities, and laying the groundwork for a truly transformative FSM economy that benefits all of Gombe.
The path to unlocking Gombe’s full sanitation potential begins with these vital vehicles.
