The Lagos State government on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to continually build a resilient city by eliminating open defecation and prioritising good sanitation practices across the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab made this known at the Year 2024 World Toilet Day celebrations held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, saying, the government would continue to proffer solutions to all sanitation challenges across the state.
He said every World Toilet Day celebrated the importance of toilets, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
He added that the day was also about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.
He stated that the national theme “Use the Toilet and Have Peace” was very apt as it focused on the fact that for billions of people, sanitation was under threat which was from conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect.
He said the indiscriminate open defecation in the state had become pronounced in various open spaces across the metropolis as a result of the influx of people that came into the state on a daily basis.
He stressed that statistically, a recent national survey on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routing Mapping (WASHNORM) 2021 reported 3% of Open Defecation in Lagos State.
“When sanitation services are destroyed, damaged or disrupted, untreated human waste spreads in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea which affect community health and the well-being of citizens,” he said.
Wahab explained that in addressing the menace of open defecation in the state, the government had developed four cardinal roadmaps which are Advocacy/Sensitization; Bridging Infrastructure Gap; Standardization and Regularization of existing facilities as well as ensuring Adequate Monitoring and Enforcement.
He stated further that the ministry had taken the campaign to the grassroots by Launching the “Clean Nigeria, Use the Toilet Campaign” in 13 LGAs out of the 20 LGAs in Lagos State.
He added that the ministry also organised Developmental Training for 250 Public Toilet Operators and Janitors in the state and rolled out a Comprehensive Operational Guidelines to guide the operation of public toilets in the state in order to achieve an effective service delivery.
He stressed that also in Year 2024, the ministry ensured the upgrade and regularization of 16 privately owned public toilet saying the government effort to bridge the infrastructure gap would be intensified with the construction of 100 toilets units.
He said the ministry also cleaned-up several open defecation black spots and installed Environmental Warning Signage against open defecation across the state saying that additional hands were engaged to boost the performance of the Anti-open Open Defecation Squad covering Lagos Island and Ojodu Berger area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to curb Open defecation along the road median.
He acknowledged the long standing collaboration of Reckitts Nigeria for co-organizing the event and appreciated the support from other Organizations, both private and corporate, as well as Community Based Organisations, CBOs.
The commissioner said the commemoration aimed to raise awareness for the sanitation crisis and to mobilize global, national and community efforts to improve hygiene, change social norms and collaborate with all so as to achieve an Open Defecation Free, ODF, Lagos across the metropolis.
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Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji, said that was a call to action for all as government, partners, and communities to intensify their efforts to ensure that everyone had access to safe sanitation.
The Permanent Secretary who spoke through the Director, Environmental Education, Mrs. Monsurat Banire, noted that access to safe and clean toilets was essential in achieving peace of mind and well-being of all.
Also, in his remark, Reckitt Category Manager, Sub- Sahara Africa, Mr. Nas Hassim, noted that open defecation contributed directly to the spread of disease and contaminated water resources as well as compromised the safety of those affected.
He added that Reckitt had been committed in driving change through sanitary and hygiene advocacy by reducing the incident of open defecation in Nigeria through public education, sensitization campaign and the donation of public toilets.
The guest lecturer, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu, Prof. Basirat Oladipupo, said where people lacked access to toilets, they were forced to practise open defecation on un-hygenic facilities thereby exposing themselves and others to dangerous pathogens.
She added that safe toilets provided a secure, private space, especially for women, girls, and the elderly stressing that safe toilets promoted gender equality and social equity and inclusiveness.
