To stem the tide of open defecation, Lagos State government, yesterday, flagged off the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign’ in Apapa Local Council.
The Guardian learnt that the campaign has already been implemented in Lagos Island, Ikorodu and Ifako Ijaiye Local Councils and would be launched in other local councils within the state.
Speaking during the event, held at the Legislative Hall of Apapa Local Council, Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, said the campaign was part of the initiative to domesticate the eradication of open defecation nationwide by 2025.
According to him, the initiative seeks to promote the use of toilets and good hygiene practices in every community across the state and in Nigeria.
Omobolaji, who was represented by a Director in the office of Sanitation Services, Babajide Adeoye, noted that the campaign was initially flagged off in the state during the Year 2020 World Toilet Day with a view to decentralising the campaign in all local councils/Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
He stated that on November 19, 2022, during the World Toilet Day (WTD) Commemoration, the state government started the campaign in three local councils across Senatorial Districts in the state, which were Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikorodu and Lagos Island councils.
Omobolaji recalled that in year 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari had declared a state of emergency on open defecation and subsequently signed into law an Executive Order 009 titled: “The Open Defecation-Free Nigeria by 2025 and Other Related Matters Order 2019.”
He stressed that the President’s action became necessary because globally, Nigeria had been ranked the second country with the highest number of people practising open defecation.
To achieve the feat, the Federal Government, he said, set up a National Secretariat tagged “Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet” campaign to drive this message through the 36 states of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“The State’s mandate to eradicate open defecation is embedded in Pillar 1, Goal 2 of the Lagos Resilience Strategy Document, which focused on ‘Improve Access to Clean Water and Sanitation,’ through four Initiatives.
“The initiatives were provision of public toilets and bathrooms in each Local Council Development Area (LCDA); construction of community wastewater treatment plants; development of an integrated waste management system; and expansion and protection of water sources to improve the city’s water supply.
“It is my hope that in view of the importance of this campaign to our national developmental process and meeting the goal of eradicating open defecation by 2025, I strongly believe that this campaign and other initiatives of this present administration will contribute to the success of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector,” he said.
He said sensitisation technique is a driving tool in achieving an open defecation free Lagos, saying that the campaign must be people-centered and community-based.
The permanent secretary emphasised that community engagement with relevant stakeholders, especially in the vulnerable and underserved communities is of high priority.
He added that despite the success of the campaign, challenges ranging from no budgetary allocation to lack of political support would have confronted the campaign, saying there is need for political support from local councils to cascade the policy to the people, who are the direct beneficiaries.
Earlier, Chairman of Apapa Local Council, Adejomoke Senbanjo, said the aim of the flag-off was to eradicate open defecation within Apapa Local Council, adding that through research, indiscriminate defecation had noticeably increased within the metropolis.
She said it had been discovered that petrol truck drivers, ‘motor boys’ and street traders were the main offenders of this nefarious act. She urged stakeholders present to implement decisions reached at the meeting to ensure that open defecation is totally eradicated in Apapa Local Council in particular and Lagos State at large.
