The United Nations Children's Endowment Fund
(UNICEF) on Tuesday revealed that no fewer than 1.4 million residents of Ekiti State
still engage in open defecation.
The global organisation, therefore, lamented that
this accounted for why Ekiti was ranked second in open defecation practice in Nigeria
and among the South-west states.
UNICEF said there was need for more concerted
efforts to stamp out the scourge across the 36 states of the federation now
that Nigeria has been ranked second in open defecation globally.
UNICEF Chief Field Officer, Akure, Ondo State, Dr.
Tushar Rane, stated this in Ado Ekiti yesterday during the ‘Open Defecation-Free’
celebration for 54 rural communities in Ekiti West and Gbonyin Local Government
Areas that have been declared free by the international body.
Rane added that: "Nigeria was ranked second to
India in open defecation globally, and this is unwholesome and deleterious to
the well-being of the citizens.
"The recent mapping survey conducted by Water
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) revealed that 1.4 million people practice open
defecation in Ekiti State, second in ranking in Nigeria and South-west region.
"We salute the resolve of the state government
to make water available to every household in Ekiti State this is commendable
because the practice of open defecation constitutes great hazards to people's
health.
"The celebration here today shows that we can
do it. We can make the state and Nigeria open defecation-free, if the right
steps are taken.
"In all these rural components, UNICEF helped
those who have the means and those who didn't have the means to build toilets in their homes to achieve this feat
that will be of benefit to our health."
The state Commissioner for Public Utilities, Bamidele
Faparusi, said the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had given an executive
order that no one should practice open defecation and that it has become
illegal for anyone to get involved in the act.
"Every household must have a toilet. If people
built their houses and considered it worthy to build a kitchen, I believe that
they must consider it expedient to also build a toilet.
"Go out and spread the news that it has become a grievous offence in
Ekiti State to defecate openly.
"Open defecation poses a lot of health
hazards. This celebration will stimulate other communities to comply and key
into one-house-one-toilet campaign. Fifty four communities have been declared open
defecation-free by UNICEF, and by 2020, all the small towns in the two council
areas will assume the same status,” Fayemi said.
The Chairman, state House of Assembly Committee on
Public Utilities, Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, assured the state that necessary
legislations would be put in place to criminalise the act for all the 16
council areas in the state in order to be free from reckless defecation.
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