The Lagos State Government on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to continually build a resilient city by eliminating open defecation and prioritizing good sanitation practices across the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab made this known at the Year 2024 World Toilet Day celebrations held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, saying, the government would continue to proffer solutions to all sanitation challenges across the state.
He said every World Toilet Day celebrates the importance of toilets, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
He added that the day is also about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.
He stated that the National theme “Use the Toilet and Have Peace” was very apt as it focuses on the fact that for billions of people, sanitation is under threat which is from conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect.
He said the indiscriminate Open Defecation in the State has become pronounced in various open spaces across the metropolis as a result of the influx of people that come into the State on a daily basis.
He stressed that statistically, a recent national survey on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routing Mapping (WASHNORM) 2021 reported 3% of Open Defecation in Lagos State.
“When sanitation services are destroyed, damaged or disrupted, untreated human waste spreads in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera, diarrhea which affect community health and the well-being of citizens” he said.
Wahab explained that in addressing the menace of Open Defecation in the State, the government had developed four cardinal roadmaps which are Advocacy/Sensitization; Bridging Infrastructure Gap; Standardization and Regularization of existing facilities as well as ensuring Adequate Monitoring and Enforcement.
He stated further that the Ministry had taken the Campaign to the grassroots by Launching the “Clean Nigeria, Use the Toilet Campaign” in 13 LGAs out of the 20 LGAs in Lagos State.
He added that the Ministry also organized Developmental Training for 250 Public Toilet Operators and Janitors in the State and rolled out a Comprehensive Operational Guidelines to guide the operation of public toilets in the State in order to achieve an effective service delivery.
He stressed that also in year 2024, the ministry ensured the upgrade and regularization of 16 privately owned public toilet saying the government effort to bridge the infrastructure gap will be intensified with the construction of 100 toilets units.