Abians and Nigerians at large have been urged to stop the practice of open defecation due to its negative effects on health, the environment, and overall well-being.
The Abia State Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday, made this call during a two-day sensitization and capacity-building workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in collaboration with the Abia State Ministry of Power and Public Utilities. The event was held recently in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State.
Addressing participants at the workshop themed “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign, the Commissioner described the initiative as being in line with Governor Alex Otti’s developmental agenda. He expressed gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation for bringing the program to Abia.
Highlighting the dangers of open defecation, Engr. Monday emphasized its impact on health, the environment, and general well-being. He revealed that Governor Otti has mandated that Abia must become open defecation-free by the end of his administration.
According to him, the governor fully supports the project, recalling that in 2024, the state launched the WASH Accelerated Program, aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which focuses on clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Engr. Monday further announced that Governor Otti has approved the installation of 10 ultra-modern toilet facilities across the state, starting with Umuahia in the first phase, with plans to extend the project to every local government area.
He called on community leaders, village heads, school headmasters, and the general public to embrace behavioral change to achieve the desired results.
Also speaking, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs. Chizuma Opara, commended the collaboration with the Abia State Government, describing it as a significant step toward achieving the project’s goals.
“Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet is an attitudinal thing, a behavioral change campaign, and the act of ending open defecation is about you and me. It is about taking a collective decision and making an effort to ensure that we move in that trend. Ending open defecation means that we must work together,” she stated.
Mrs. Opara noted that out of 774 local governments in Nigeria, only 142 have been declared open defecation-free since the project’s launch on November 19, 2019.
She emphasized that the project’s primary aim is to create awareness and sensitize the public on the importance of ending open defecation nationwide.
