Open Defecation: Ogun Govt Orders Fuel Stations, Eateries, Markets, Others To Provide Public Toilets

Ogun State Government has made it mandatory for fuel stations,eateries, markets and other public facilities in the states to provide functioning public toilets in their facilities, as part of moves to  eradicate open defecation in the state.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya who gave the order during the commisioning of ultra modern biogas energy public toilets at the Governor's office Secretariat in Oke-mosan, Abeokuta, said the mandate became necessary to promote public hygiene and sanitation in public places and  discourage residents from defecating in open places when they are in transits or out of their homes when pressed.

Oresanya also stressed the need for party organizers in the state, to always provide movable toilets at party venues through out the state, adding that Environmental Sanitation Officers from the Ministry of Environment and all the Twenty Local Government Council of the state will enforce the directive to ensure effectiveness of the policy against open defecation 

He revealed that government would construct  three hundred public toilets with VIP component such as solar panels  in the next six month , saying the first phase of fifty of the toilet facilities are  already at advanced stage of construction and will be ready for commissioning at the end of January. 2023

"All the twenty local government areas of the state will have a minimum of ten public toilets each while  the urban local government areas will have a minimum of fifteen to make up the number," the commissioner added.

Oresanya therefore called on residents of the state to make use of the toilets in their various localities to further enhance public hygiene and better standard of living, saying the public toilets are to complements those in various houses and public place, so that in few months, the state will be declared open defecation free by the federal government and other world sanitation bodies.

 

Also speaking at the commissioning, the Ogun State Head of service, Dr  Nafiu Aigoro said the Biogas Energy public toilet which was constructed by Biofil Technology in partnership with the Ministry of Environment would  complement the existing toilets in the State Secretariat

He  added that it was the first of its kind in the country with the energy generated from the facility good for cooking or floodlights which is another testimony of the Dapo Abiodun administration's determination at eradicating open defecation in the state as well as introducing to the residents the benefits of energies generated from septic tanks when properly treated and converted.