...flags off clean Nigeria, use toilet campaign in Apapa
The Lagos State Government has stressed the need for private sector, community collaboration to combat the menace of open defecation across the state and achieve an open-defecation-free Nigeria by 2025.
Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources, Omolaji Gaji, made the call on Tuesday, at the official flag-off and sensitization of the "Clean Nigeria, Use Toilet Campaign," in Apapa Local Government.
The Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, is an initiative aimed at ending open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.
The campaign is led by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and supported by UNICEF and other local and international partners. The campaign seeks to promote the use of toilets and good hygiene practices in every community in Nigeria.
Recall that in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency on Open Defecation and subsequently signed into law an Executive Order 009 titled, "The Open Defecation-Free Nigeria by 2025 and Other Related Matters Order 2019."
Nigeria had been ranked the second country with the highest number of people practising open defecation.
In achieving the feat, the Federal Government set up a national secretariat for the campaign to drive this message through the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In his address, Gaji, who was represented by the Director of the ministry, Babajide Adeoye, called for collaboration with private sectors, and industries on the need to embark on corporate social responsibility, CSR, to reduce prevalence of open defecation in the state by complementing government efforts.
Meanwhile, the state government flagged off the campaign in the state during the Year 2020 World Toilet Day, WTD, with a view to decentralizing the campaign in all Local Government Areas/ Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs.
Also, on November 19, 2022, during WTD commemoration, the state government flagged off the campaign in three councils across the three Senatorial Districts in the State, namely: Ifako - Ijaiye, Ikorodu and Lagos Island LGAs.
Gaji stressed that the state government's mandate to eradicate open defecation is embedded in pillar 1, Goal 2 of the Lagos Resilience Strategy Document, which focuses on "improving access to clean water and Sanitation," through four initiatives:
"Provide public toilets and bathrooms in each local government and local council development areas, construct community wastewater treatment plants, develop an integrated waste management system, and expand and protect water sources to improve the city's water supply.
"It is noteworthy to state that awareness/Sensitization Technique is a driving tool in achieving an Open Defecation Free Lagos. Hence, the campaign must be people-centred and community-based. Community engagement with relevant stakeholders especially in the vulnerable and underserved communities must be of high priority.
"It is also important we point out that this campaign, despite its successes has also been confronted with some challenges ranging from no budgetary allocation to lack of political will.
"There is, therefore, a need for political support from Local Governments, corporate bodies, communities, and commercial organisations to support and cascade this policy to the people, who are the direct beneficiaries.
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"It is my hope that in view of the importance of this campaign to our national developmental process and meeting the goal of eradicating open defecation by 2025, I strongly believe that this campaign and other initiatives of this present administration will contribute to the success of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector," he stated.
The Chairman of Apapa Council, Adejumoke Senbanjo, in his address, added that the campaign aimed to eradicate open defecation within Apapa council and Lagos state, which has become one of the major environmental problems due to indiscriminate defecation by residents.
Senbanjo, called for all hands to be on deck to combat the menace, saying government can not achieve it alone.
Other stakeholders, who also contributed on the occasion, highlighted some of the challenges being faced by communities and the way forward.
