The Lagos State government on Thursday vowed to commence prosecution of individuals who engage in open defecation, particularly along the Berger Expressway as sanitation operatives cleaned the faeces that literred the median of the expressway.
Speaking during an advocacy exercise that preceded the enforcement activities, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, said the enforcement action was aimed at preventing the spread of communicable diseases like cholera and diarrhoea in the state.
Gaji accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr Olawale Musa, and other directors of the two ministries said the enforcement team comprising of the anti-open defecation squad, Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, and other enforcement agencies would commence operation immediately after the advocacy/ sensitisation campaign.
He added that the enforcement teams would work in shifts to apprehend and prosecute offenders in accordance with the environmental laws of the state.
The Permanent Secretary said it is appalling and shameful to find people defecate openly and in open places especially on the road and road medians saying, the action was unacceptable and required a lasting solution to totally eradicate the menace which was why the state had resorted to undertake enforcement and prosecution after the sensitisation exercise.
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Gaji maintained that anyone caught would face the full wrath of the law with the hope that it would serve as a deterrent to others and ensure that the fight against open defecation was sustained.
The Permanent Secretary informed that the proprietor of a Total Filling Station located at Berger Expressway had been magnanimous to donate five toilet rooms facility in the filling station to the public free of charge.
He added that another toilet facility of eight rooms was fully operational at Berger bus-top garage, urging those still in the habit of open defecation to turn a new leaf by patronising public toilets near them or face the consequences of their action.
“The toilets are not enough but we have a plans to construct more toilets that will have its own water treatment plant and will be able to recycle its water so that the whole ecosystem can be preserved; you will start seeing the implementation soon,” he said.
He said in winning the war against open defecation, there is need for all to come together and prioritize the usage of clean and accessible toilet facilities in communities, and public spaces, stressing that it was also necessary to have educational programmes that would raise awareness about the importance of proper sanitation.
The Permanent Secretary stated that the health implications of open defecation on the economy was enormous saying that whenever there was a disease outbreak, government had to divert resources meant for economic growth to combat the spread of diseases.
He stressed that lack of access to clean toilets was a significant challenge to public health and well-being while assuring residents that the government was set to address the fundamental issues that affected the safety and future of the state.
He thereafter urged all residents to join hands with government to ensure a cleaner, healthier and sustainable environment by instilling a culture of cleanliness which would be beneficial to present and future generations.
