Environment
A health related Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Toilet Kulture, has urged the Federal Government to provide toilet facilities on highways in order to eliminate open defecation in the country.
Mrs Elsie Ozika, the executive director of the organisation, made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
According to Ozika, open defecation is a practice, whereby people defecate in fields, bushes, forests, or other open places rather than using the toilet to to so.
She said that the construction of toilets on highways would help to boost the fight against open defecation.
According to her, people travel everyday and nature is something that one cannot control, and this is why toilets should be constructed along highways.
“When a traveller is on the highway and the need to answer the call of nature arises; there is nothing such a person can do in that situation but to look for a nearby bush to defecate.
“This practice is not good for our country, there I’d the need to change that attitude and the only way to prevent it is to construct toilets on the highways.
“In the developed countries, they have toilets constructed along the highways, making things easy for travellers.
“Areas such as Abuja-Lokoja, Ibadan-Lagos, Aba-Port Harcourt, are among many of the highways that the government should construct toilet facilities,’’ she said.
Ozika called for other relevant stakeholders’ support to ensure that the project is carried out successfully, as according to her, the construction of toilets is not government’s responsibility alone.
She also said that the construction and maintenance of the toilets should extend to other relevant places such as markets, Churches, Mosques, among others.
The executive director said that the organisation was planning to engage public schools in the effective sensitisation campaign against open defecation.
“We want to start with six government primary schools in the FCT before we move to other schools.
“The purpose of the exercise is to let the people know the importance of building toilets and providing other facilities.
“We also want to let them know that it is important to maintain the facilities and ensure that the toilets are clean as well as providing soaps and sustainable water supply for the schools.
“We want to let them know that it is important to flush the toilet, wash their hands with soap and clean with water after using toilets,’’ she said.
Ozika, however, urged Nigerians to support government’s efforts in ensuring that the country achieved open defecation free society by 2025. (NAN)
JULY 29, 2019 13:48 GMT |
Tags: Open defecation: NGO urges FG to construct toilets on highways
