By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Cross River State House of Assembly has passed a bill prohibiting open defecation across the state in a move aimed at improving sanitation and protecting public health.
The lawmakers approved the bill on Thursday after considering a report presented by the House Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation, chaired by Kingsley Ntui, who represents the Etung State Constituency.
Presenting the committee’s report, Ntui said about 47 million Nigerians still practised open defecation, noting that the practice contributed to the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.
He commended the efforts of the government of Cross River State toward eliminating the practice and urged lawmakers to support sanitation initiatives in their constituencies.
Ntui also disclosed that with support from United Nations Children’s Fund and Self Help Africa, eight local government areas in the state had already been declared open defecation-free.
However, he noted that challenges such as poor sanitation infrastructure, limited access to clean water, poverty and low public awareness continued to hinder the state’s progress toward achieving full open defecation-free status.
Other lawmakers who contributed to the debate said the bill aligned with national and global initiatives aimed at eliminating open defecation, adding that the law would improve environmental cleanliness and promote the well-being of residents.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, commended the committee for its work and expressed satisfaction with the passage of the bill.
Ayambem said the legislation would help create a cleaner environment and reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to people-oriented laws that improve residents’ welfare.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bill aligns with the Federal Government’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme aimed at achieving safe water, sanitation and hygiene services by 2030 and making communities across the country open defecation-free.
