Ogun State Government has read a riot act to fuel stations, eateries, markets and other public facilities to provide functioning public toilets within their facilities as part of efforts to eradicate open defecation in the state.

The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya gave the order during the commissioning of ultra-modern biogas energy public toilets at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta.

Oresanya said the mandate became necessary to promote public hygiene and sanitation in public places and discourage residents from defecating in open places, when they are in transits or out of their homes.

To further drive the state government’s determination in fight against open defecation, Oresanya said party organisers in the state must provide movable toilets at venues, adding that Environmental Sanitation
Officers from the Ministry of Environment and all the 20 local councils would enforce the directive for effectiveness.

The Commissioner announced that 300 public toilets with VIP component such as – solar panels would be provided in the next six months with the first phase of 50 already at advanced stage of construction, ready for commissioning this January.

“All the 20 councils will have a minimum of 10 public toilets each, while the urban councils will have a minimum of 15 to make up the number,”‘ he added.

Oresanya, therefore, called on residents of the state to make use of the toilets in their various localities to further enhance public hygiene and better standard of living, saying the public toilets are to complement those in various houses and public place, so that in few months, the state will be declared open defecation free by the Federal Government and other world sanitation bodies.

Also speaking, the Ogun State Head of Service, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, said the biogas energy public toilet, would complement the existing toilets at the state secretariat.

He added that it was the first of its kind in the country with the energy generated from the facility good for cooking or floodlights, which is another testimony of the Dapo Abiodun administration’s determination at eradicating open defecation, as well as introducing to the residents the benefits of energies generated from septic tanks when properly treated and converted.