All critical stakeholders must do more to provide conveniences.
It is a common sight in many of our towns and cities to find people urinating or defecating either on the roadside or in seemingly obscure corners, sometimes in the full glare of passers-by. Since people who are hard-pressed in the public often must ease themselves in the most inappropriate places, the health hazards posed by this repugnant habit cannot be over-emphasised. This culture is more noticeable at motor-parks, public schools, markets, bus and train terminals, and public squares where there are either no toilets or poorly kept ones. Even some of the nation's airports have no functional toilets. Where such facilities exist, they are poorly maintained. It is amazing how authorities at all levels should ignore such basic needs as toilets.
Last week, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Nigeria will need to build no fewer than 3.9 million toilets annually to meet the 2025 target for ending open defecation practice. UNICEF chief, Jane Bevan, made the disclosure at the opening of a two-day Maiden Toilet Business Owners Conference in Abuja. "About 1.3 per cent of GDP or N455 billion is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation - health, health care savings and productivity," said Ms Bevan. She stated that current toilet construction in the country stood between 180,000 and 200,000 toilets annually, describing it as inadequate. "Every dollar invested in water and sanitation results in economic benefits ranging from three dollars to 34 dollars."
The urge to ease oneself most often comes without much warning. When such an urge arises, it should be conveniently responded to. At present, that is not readily available in most Nigerian cities. The embarrassment that this could cause is better imagined than experienced. That is why the provision of public toilets and conveniences is an imperative in a modern society, not the least one wooing investors and tourists. Otherwise, where would a person, outside home, who suddenly feels the need to either pass urine or stool, ease themselves without debasing their human dignity?
What saddens is that the entire country is fast becoming one huge field, where people defecate, without shame, and without taking into consideration the impact of their action on the health of others. In many rural communities, people still build houses without provision for toilets, or latrines where waste can be emptied without others encountering it. In the urban centres, the issue is pervasive. And experts have consistently warned that when large numbers of people are defecating outdoors, it's extremely difficult to avoid ingesting human waste, either because it's entered the food or water supplies or because it has been spread by flies and dust.
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The government may not be able to provide every facility needed in a city. However, it must demonstrate not only the inclination to do it, but also create the enabling environment to encourage the private sector to do so. The 774 local government authorities that we have in the country have the primary responsibility of providing and maintaining such facilities. But currently, they are shirking that responsibility.
Besides, government, at all levels, must initiate and sustain a re-orientation campaign to educate and enlighten the people on the need for observance of basic hygiene in our communities or cities. It is the loss of this once cherished culture of cleanliness that has today made certain public places a no-go area because of indiscriminate defecation. Schools, churches, mosques and other social institutions should also join the campaign if the nation is to be spared the possible consequences of non-availability and poor use of public toilets.
Given reports that majority of the public facilities in Nigeria either do not have toilets or they are broken, this emblem of shame deserves urgent attention.
