
written by Nedu Okorie
2 minutes read
Open defecation has become rampant in Amule community in the Ilorin East local government area of Kwara state, where most of the residents are without toilets.
Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outside rather than into a toilet. People may choose bushes, forests, streets or other spaces for defecation. They do so either because they do not have toilets readily accessible or due to traditional cultural practices.
Moshood is a resident in Amule community, and he engages in weaving aso-oke, which is close to the open drainage that connects the main road and the neighboring community, Okelele. This open drainage has served as a defecation spot for passersby and obstinate residents.
“My name is comrade Moshood Abiola, I engage in my family weaving works and I tutor students in some schools. Starting from the other end of the bridge, to this place, there are a lot of families living here and we have our toilets located outside in this area.” say Moshood
According to Abiola, a few years ago, residents of the community put resources together to construct latrines, but it barely functions, so the residents have to return to open defecation.
“This environment is not conducive for healthy living due to the germs and bacteria emitted from the faeces. Most mornings, we wake up and discover feces around a workshop”, says Moshood.
Even though there are signboards warning against open defecation in the Amule community, some of the residents seem not to listen to the warning. They even go as far as using corrugated roofing sheets to construct open roof toilets, passing the pipes directly into the drainage.
The permanent secretary Ministry of Health, Hajia Afusat Ibrahim, spoke on the issue, giving her view on the rising spate of open defecation and improper waste disposal.
“People do not have toilet facilities despite all government warnings and advice concerning building houses with modern toilet facilities. Even the advice of the Ministry of Housing is not being followed, because they have advised that all houses must have toilet facilities”, says Hajia Ibrahim.
Open defecation pollutes the environment and causes health problems and diseases. In the same vein environmental pollution is becoming unbearable for students and teachers of Dr. Bukola Saraki Junior Secondary School, Amule Iya Balugon, which sits close to the drainage.
The fence of the school is weakened and falling apart, which has exposed some of the classrooms to the faeces littered drainage. The community members have also been exposed to a lot of health hazards.
The director of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Abayomi Idowu, highlights some of the dangers and health implications of open defecation in a local community.
“The health implication of open defecation is very grave. First and foremost, wherever you see people defecating openly, there are certain diseases that will come in that area, such as the outbreak of cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and so on. So we know the health implications of these, even on the productive aspect of the people. When you see someone who is sick, such a person will definitely not be productive.
The state government has actually embarked on construction of public toilets. In fact, recently, the existing ones are now being renovated by private individuals.
Also, the Government is not an entity that will be affected with an outbreak of disease. It is the people themselves that will be affected. And when we look at the general cost of getting treatments in our hospitals, we know that it is on the high side and that is why we normally say that prevention is better and also cheaper than cure.
That is why whenever you want to put up a structure, you should have it at the back of your mind that sanitary facilities should be the number one thing that you should consider”, Say Mr. Idowu.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says Nigeria’s target of ending open defecation by 2025 could not be attained due to the slow pace of activities geared towards achieving the goals.
To this end, the humanitarian organisation noted that it would take Nigeria up to 2046 to meet the national road map on open defecation free.
Quoting statistics from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), UNICEF states that about 48 million Nigerians still defecate openly, while only 105 out of 774 Local Government Areas in the country have been certified free in the country.
According to UNICEF, going by the current rate, Nigeria cannot be open defecation free as Nigeria still maintains its top rank as the country with the most number of the people practicing open defecation.
Hygiene and sanitation should not be neglected, let’s try as much as possible to promote the use of toilets and eradicate open defecation in our local communities.