By Bisola Adeyemo
Muslim women under the auspices of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Oyo State branch, has stressed on strict punishments to whoever is caught in the act of defecating openly, noting that this is necessary to reduce the cases of open defecation that is still rampant in some rural and urban communities.
The association made this disclosure on Monday while addressing journalists during a press conference heralding the association’s 2021 week in Ibadan with the theme “My Community, My Pride: Promoting General Well-being and Stopping Open Defecation.
“FOMWAN is also advocating stringent punitive measures to discourage the practice. For instance, some states have already made laws to prohibit open defecation. In line with this, we want to commend the Oyo State House of Assembly for making open defecation a punishable offence.
“The House in December, 2020 passed the Oyo State Open Defecation Bill, 2020 which when assented by the Governor Seyi Makinde prescribes a fine of N50,000 for anyone who defecated in the open in any part of the State.
“Also, anyone who owns a property and does not provide toilet facility within three months from the commencement of the bill commits an offence and he/she is liable on conviction for three months or a fine of N50,000 or both.”
She said that the association’s campaign to end open defecation would not be a one-off thing as FOMWAN was set to make it a continuous effort in all their chapters, branches and affiliates, daily post reports
“As I have stated, FOMWAN will urgently write a formal letter to the Governor to assent his signature to the open defecation bill.”
