By Titilayo Kupoliyi
Toilets are vital for human existence because they prevent the spread of deadly diseases and protect public health by safely managing human waste.
They are also crucial for human dignity and gender equality, particularly for women and girls who can be vulnerable to violence and harassment without safe, private facilities.
Additionally, toilets are important for environmental health, social stability, and economic progress.
To this end, United Nations set aside every November 19 as World Toilet Day to raise awareness of people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
The aim is to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for safe, accessible toilets for everyone, everywhere and to inspire concrete action to close the sanitation gap.
It is also to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Speaking on this Year’s World Toilet Day, President Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, Mr Abiodun Adegoke called on government for provision of more public toilets.
Mr Adegoke noted that toilet facility was necessary in every home and public places to prevent outbreak of diseases.
“How did we come about the issue of toilet? It was brought about by what we call health sanitation”.
The Environmental Health expert pointed out that the first type of toilet facility in the olden days was bucket latrine while the water closets the latest model.
“The Bucket latrine is what they use in the olden days, to safe people from outbreak of diseases, from there to pit latrine, we dug pit, put slab on it and people defecate in it”.
He emphasized that toilet is a must for every building, residential or office to prevent airborne disease which may occur as a result of indiscriminate defecation.
“Flies breeding, odour nuisance, air pollution, which may arise as a result of indiscriminate
“The law specify that where a building is erected, a toilet facility must be put in place.
“Wherever a house is not having a toilet, one of the rooms must be converted to a toilet facility”
Mr Adegoke maintained that the law specifies that all the public places like markets, garage and motor parks must have toilet facilities.
He however, urged people to always maintain toilet facility by washing regularly with soap and water.
“Adequate maintenance of toilet facilities will prevent outbreak of diseases and pollution of lands while the environment will be sanitized”.
He called on the government to provide more toilet facility for the citizens for a more sanitized environment.
“Where government have provided toilet facility, they should provide more because of increase in population while the citizens must also ensure adequate maintenance of it”.
The theme for this year’s World Toilet Day is “sanitation in a changing world”.
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