By Yemi Olakitan
South West Governors of Nigeria have been tasked by UNICEF with the eradication of the practice of open defecation in their states.
Specialist in water sanitation and hygiene for UNICEF Monday Johnson addressed the media at a UNICEF-organized debate with the theme “Eliminating Open Defecation in South West” in Ibadan, Nigeria on Tuesday.
At the media dialogue in Ibadan, Monday Johnson, a UNICEF water, sanitation, and hygiene specialist, addressed the attendees, saying the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that in Oyo state, which has a population of over 8 million, open defecation is practised by 54% of the population.
According to Johnson, UNICEF is working with the Oyo State Government to eradicate open defecation in the state by 2028.
He expressed concern that Nigeria, the country with the highest rate of open defecation in the world, could not be able to put an end to the practise by 2025 at the current pace of implementation, stating that it might take as long as 2046 to do so.
According to Johnson, “the overall vision of UNICEF Nigeria’s WASH programme is to support the Government to ensure that by 2027, more Nigerians, especially those in vulnerable situations, realise their rights to safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services through improved access to affordable, sustainable, and climate-resilient, safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene services.”
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He urged the government to allocate more funds specifically for programmes aimed at putting an end to open defecation throughout the nation.
Speaking at the occasion, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the information commissioner for Oyo State, announced that open defecation offenders in the state would now face legal action.
He claimed that the state ministry of information is stepping up its efforts to educate the public and urge citizens to stop the practise of open defecation.
Oyelade claimed that Engineer Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, has ordered the state’s justice department to bring legal action against those who practise open defecation there.
Oyelade declared, “With UNICEF’s assistance, Oyo State is prepared to put an end to the problem of open defecation in the state.
“The governor has ordered that billboards containing warnings and disuassions against the practice of open defecation, as well as the consequences for violators, be placed in strategic locations around the state.”
“Gov. Seyi Makinde has given the State Ministry of Justice the responsibility of seeing that anyone who engage in the practise of open defecation in Oyo State be prosecuted. They would be brought to book and charged. These are some of the measures we are taking to guarantee the success of our engagement with UNICEF,” says Oyelade.
