Oyo State Government says it is set to punish individuals who defecate in the open and indiscriminately dump refuse.
It said this is part of efforts to help reduce significantly or completely eradicate cases of open defecation in the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, disclosed this at a 2-day media dialogue on open defecation in the South-West states, held in Ibadan.
The gathering, which was sponsored by UNICEF, was attended by media executives from the five south-west states.
Prince Oyelade added that the move to penalise open defecators and indiscriminate dumping of refuse was part of efforts aimed at achieving the national target of ending open defecation in Nigeria by 2027.
He stated that the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde has unequivocally mandated the Ministry of Justice to ensure the prosecution of anyone who dumps refuses or defecates openly in the State.
Prince Oyelade said the penalty when fully in place, would promote behavioural change in the hygiene of citizens and curb open defecation.
He said, “Oyo State Government is willing to effect the necessary behavioural change in open defecation, working with UNICEF’s WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) action plan.
“In Oyo State, we have adopted the WASH action plan, and if need be, we will back it up with legislation,” Prince Oyelade added.
“And the Ministry of Justice has been mandated to penalise defecators and those dumping refuse in illegal sites. Also, law enforcement agencies will do their bit.”
“It is sad that Nigeria has taken over from Egypt by recording the highest rate of open defecation,” he said.
Prince Dotun Oyelade said the Oyo State Government, before 2027, will ensure much improvement in the social menaces and all other diseases plaguing the state.
He therefore appealed to residents to patronise Government waste Consultants and stop the unhygienic practice of open defecation.
He said, “To this end, billboards will be erected at major junctions and entry points of the State, to discourage anyone from practising any environmental infractions, and the penalties.
He added, “The Oyo State government is bent on ensuring residents obey the law of social etiquette.”
Prince Oyelade pledged the Oyo State Government’s continued partnership with UNICEF to ensure Oyo State is open defecation-free.
Earlier, UNICEF WASH Specialist, Mr. Monday Johnson revealed that according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, about 48 million Nigerians are practising open defecation.
Mr. Johnson said the disposal of human faeces in the open, including fields, forests, bushes, open bodies of water and other open spaces in a common practice in the country.
He said though Oyo State has one of the highest data of unhygienic practices of open defecation in the South-West, UNICEF is glad that it has progressively started actions to end open defecation.
As the world marks “Toilet Day” on Saturday, open defecation remains a challenge to the social and health development in Nigeria.
Open Defecation according to the World Health Organization “is the practice of defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water and other spaces.”
Health officials have over time described the practice as a risk to children’s nutrition and community health as faecal contamination of the environment is contributing to illnesses in children and death.
In November 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector with the launch of a national campaign tagged “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” as the pacesetter for the total eradication of open defecation by 2025.
With less than 3 years to the target time, available statistics portray the country as being still far from achieving the goal.
Meanwhile, the Target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals highlights the elimination of open Defecation as a means of improving the health, nutrition and productivity of developing countries’ populations such as Nigeria’s.
In the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS 6 Report, all states in the South West Region of Nigeria, except Lagos, have a higher open defecation rate than the National percentage of 22.2% of the population.
MICS/NICS Reports
The MICS/NICS household survey report is a collaborative effort between the National Bureau of Statistics, UNICEF and other development agencies to provide data for assessing the situation of children and women in Nigeria.
It was officially launched in August 2022.
A medical Practitioner Doctor Akin Sodipo said “defecating openly affects both the perpetrator and others in the community.
He said that several diseases could be contracted through the act. “There is a risk of diseases gotten from what is taken through the mouth and number one of them is Cholera.” Dr. Sodipo stated.
He explained that flies from the waste can perch on food and drinks and also the body waste can contaminate water sources. He added that someone can contract Hepatitis ‘A’ infection from parts of the faeces of an infected, that get to the mouth, which he described as a very dangerous disease too.
Apart from its health implications, Dr.Sodipo described open Defecation as “an eye sore that does not befit any noble community.”
Site of open defecation
According to the MICS report, the percentage of the people who defecate openly in Oyo state ranks atop the other 5 states
Although it seems that Oyo state still has some time to meet 2028 set as the deadline for the eradication of all forms of open defecation, the recent MICS report placed the state as number one in the southwest region where open Defecation is being practised.
The report says over 40% of the Oyo state population still defecates in the open while Ekiti state is next with 38.2%. However, Lagos state with the largest population among the 6 southwest states has only 2% of its population still engaging in unhygienic practices.
Oyo state is also reported as being low in other Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) indicators such as the use of sanitation facilities by a little above half of the population;55.9% and only 26.6% of the people have access to hand washing facilities with water and soap.
As part of measures to change the narratives the Oyo State Government in July 2022, launched the open Defecation free roadmap and declared a state of emergency on water, sanitation and Hygiene.
The State’s house of assembly had earlier in September 2021, passed the prohibition of open Defecation bill into law in an effort to stop the unhealthy practice.
Oyo State House of Assembly
The Act makes it “an offence for anyone to defecate in the open or deposit faeces anywhere in the state”.
It further states that “anyone caught and prosecuted is liable to a fine of 5,000naira or an option of non-custodial punishment of one week.”
“The law provided that it is compulsory for house owners and companies to make provisions for toilet facilities”.
It goes further to state that “anyone who fails to comply with the provision of the law is liable on conviction to three months or a fine of 50,000naira or both.”
“The law empowers the Oyo state government to erect public and mobile toilets in strategic locations across the state.”
Picture of a man urinating in Public
Unfortunately, the recent MICS survey does not reflect that such punitive measures are in place to deter people from excreting in open spaces.
Perhaps many people seem to be unaware of it, because some residents interviewed in the state capital, Ibadan said they were not aware of such a law, although most of those interviewed decried the unhygienic practice.
One of them Mrs Lade Anifowose said she just heard about the law from our correspondent. She described it as commendable but expressed worries that the law may not be implemented.
“if indeed the government is serious about such law, then the government should put in place public toilets in locations that are easily accessible that people could make use of but we can’t start with laws when we don’t have things put in place that will make such laws meaningful ” She advised.
Another Resident, Mr. Kenny Donald also advised the government to enlighten the public about the dangers inherent in open defecation.
“The law will be very good for us as a state, but because we are used to that (open defecation) and when we want to change what we have been doing, we have to say it again and again.
If they really want to change the culture, it is sensitization first not punishment, give reasons why it is wrong and give us alternatives where people can urinate or defecate “.Mr. Donald submitted.
The Environment Health officers in Oyo state however said they had recorded remarkable progress in the eradication of open defecation in the state.
The Acting director of environmental health services with a Local Community Development Area in Oyo state Mr. Olakunle Amoo dismissed the MICS report saying it is not a true reflection of the current state of open defecation in Oyo state.
“Maybe they have not come back to evaluate because as soon as we received the figure we’ve already swung into action. Let me tell you that the environmental health officers in Oyo state have been going around each of the local governments we have.” Amoo argued.
He maintained that the cases of open Defecation in the state had already reduced as some homes and organizations without toilets now have.
“if they come back to do the evaluation they might see that Oyo state has improved on that figure” He boasted.
He added that “we are making frantic efforts to reduce the menace to the barest minimum”.
Mr. Amoo pointed out that one of the hindrances to achieving zero open defecation in the state was the insufficient number of environmental health personnel. He noted that the present administration, engaged some new officers a few months ago but the International standard number required for the size of Oyo state population is yet to be met.
The environmental health officer said most of the people who engage in open defecation may be ignorant of the dangers inherent in it.
“Through the enlightenment programmes and health education of the community, I think they are now realizing that it is very bad for them to defecate either in the drainage or around the community and that it is very dangerous for their health”.
He called on the government to provide the necessary logistics needed by the environmental health officers to do more, while the media should assist in the public enlightenment.
dilapidated toilet
While suggesting other effective measures that could reduce open defecation Mr. Amoo pleaded with Non-Governmental Organizations and other stakeholders to provide toilets in the markets, motor parks and other public places for the use of the people.
“Even the community can come together and build the toilet, even if at all they cannot afford to have it within their living premises” Mr. Amoo advised.
He agreed that the Act on the prohibition of open defecation will reduce the unhealthy act and encourage members of the public to abide by the law.
“We started from the marketplaces through the enlightenment. When we visit a market we will check if they have toilets if they don’t we call the management of such market and enlighten them to build one to avoid being prosecuted.” He explained.
“We do prosecution; the first step we take when we get to the house without toilets, we give them a notice, and within 21 days they should provide toilets, so after giving them the notice, we will visit the place at least 3 times to ascertain if they have provided the toilet or not.”
He said if after 21 days, nothing was done, the owner of the house will be prosecuted.
Scene of open defecation
Meanwhile, Dr.Sodipo argued that law against open Defecation can only be enforced when there is a provision for alternatives.
“You can only enforce it by giving them options, if the people do not have any toilet or latrine what do you want them to do? The government should rather compel everybody to have a pit latrine at least if not a water system or the government should provide public toilets which they will use. If the government does not provide them and you intend to enforce people not to defecate openly it may not work”, he asserted.
The medical doctor however said “at the same time the citizens should not expect everything from government, no. We should provide for ourselves good toilets to curb open defecation”, he submitted.
The theme of the 2022 World Toilet Day is Sanitation and Ground Water, emphasizing that safely managed sanitation protects groundwater from human waste pollution.
The campaign thereby calls on governments across the globe to work at least four times faster to ensure safe toilets for all by 2030.
One hundred and twenty four persons have been prosecuted and sentenced to community service for open defecation contravening the state’s environmental and health laws by the Ogun State government.
The offenders were arrested in various locations across the state with eighty-two of them from Mowe-Ibafo axis in Obafemi-Owode local government area.
The Special Adviser to the Ogun state Governor on Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta said the offenders were apprehended as parts of efforts at stopping the indecent habit and make the state open-defecation free.
Mr. Oresanya stressed that the bad habit which are mostly done late in the night and at dawn have negative implications on the immediate communities where they are practised stating that the state government will not watch few dirty individuals put the health of the majority at risk through their shameful act.
He said the arrest of offenders will continue as the state has zero tolerance for open defecation and warned drivers of articulated vehicles to stop defecating on medians and roadsides while on stopovers and advised them to visit public toilets provided by the state government for their conveniences.
Mr. Oresanya announced that all Petrol stations and Eateries in the state have been mandated to make their conveniences available for the public as part of their corporate social responsibility while the state government has also identified over one hundred other locations for construction of more public toilets through public-private partnership.
The Federal Government has charged house owners to ensure availability of toilets in the bid to end open defecation in the country.
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu gave the charge in Akure while declaring open a one day capacity building seminar for members of Chief Orientation and Mobilisation Officers, COMOS, of the National Orientation Agency, NOA.
Radio Nigeria Correspondent John Ebiofini now reports.
A group of missionaries recently stayed two days at a village in the heart of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital
The major purpose of their visitation was evangelism. Whether they succeeded in winning souls or not is not the issue here.
The issue is what they found out in that village, which is open defecation.
One of the evangelists, Simeon Akagbosu said that throughout their two day stay in the village, everyboby did shot put’ without batting an eyelid after answering the call of nature.
According to evangelist Akagbosu, the most worrisome is that neighbours called out one another in the early morning to do open defecation in nearby bushes and uncompleted structure.
This is a tale of woe and a reawakening to the campaign against open defecation in Nigeria.
The Nigeria elites are always ready and eager to condemn and castigate open defecation by the people whether they are ignorant or illiterate.
That is good, because what is bad is bad, but the question is, what role should the government play to eradicate this century old shameful habit?
India has indices comparable to that of Nigeria but it has taken steps by creating toilet access for its over one billion people.
India opened a bank account for every adult who does not already have toilets to do so.
Is there any other better way to take dividends of democracy to the door steps of the poor other than this, especially in the fight against open defecation and its attendant health hazards to the larger public?
Governments at all levels have done well by providing public conveniences for the people but in most cases these facilities are restricted to the state capitals.
Nigeria may not have the capacity to meet the standards in Europe, America, Saudi Arabia or Dubai but all hands must be on deck to provide toilet facilities for the people across board.
To prevent epidemic diseases is better than cure.
The provision of basic amenities like public toilets free of charge to the people to catapult Nigeria to greatness should not be overshadowed by private takeover of the common patrimony through collusion by the people in their hearts.
The campaign against open defecation must be resuscitated in homes, schools, churches, mosques and shrines all over the country as the government cannot do it alone.
It is a thing of shame that people still do open defecation with glee in Nigeria in the 21stcentury
This is a sad angle to a rather potentially great African giant.
The Federal government says it will not relent in its aggressive fight against open defecation most especially at the grassroots.
The Minister of water resources, Mallam Sulieman Adamu made this known in Ado Ekiti during a day sensitization on open defecation free, organized for community mobilization officers of the National Orientation Agency.
Ogun State Government is to
construct five hundred public toilets across the state to combat the challenges
of open defecation.
Commissioner for Environment, Mr Abiodun Abudu-Balogun who made this known in Abeokuta while speaking on the ministry’s road map, hinted that the toilets would be constructed through a public-private partnership arrangement.
He said the ministry would be
working to achieve its mandate despite the huge number of old buildings without
toilets in the cities and the casual attitude of people towards open defecation.
Mr Balogun who explained that the task force on street trading, illegal construction and pollution would soon commence operation, also noted that erring traders who display their goods on the road medians will be sanctioned appropriately.
The Commissioner also added that the ministry in conjunction with the Ministry of Physical Planning will start the removal of illegal car showrooms across the cities in the state.
