The war against open defecation train in Lagos on Tuesday landed at Agege Local Government Area with the state Government reiterating the necessity of promotion of healthy sanitation habits by all residents for good health.
Speaking at the Agege Local Government Secretariat before a gathering of community and religious leaders, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen called on all those who still engage in open defecation to desist from doing so.
The Permanent Secretary represented by a Director in the Office of Sanitation Services, Mr. Ola Okeseni noted that the State Government adopted the decentralization of the campaign on stop open defecation and use the toilet in order to reach the hinterlands.
He reiterated that the State Government’s mandate to eradicate Open Defecation is embedded in Pillar 1, Goal 2 of the Lagos Resilience Strategy Document which focused on “IMPROVE ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION” through 4 Initiatives
He added that the 4 initiatives were
- PROVISION OF PUBLIC TOILETS AND BATHROOMS IN EACH LGA AND LCDA;
- CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS;
- DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM;
- EXPAND AND PROTECT WATER SOURCES TO IMPROVE THE CITY’S WATER SUPPLY.
“It is my hope that in view of the importance of this campaign to our national developmental process and meeting the goal of eradicating open defecation by 2025, I strongly believe that this campaign and other initiatives of this present administration will contribute to the success of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector” he said.
He stated that Sensitization Technique is a driving tool in achieving an Open Defecation Free Lagos saying that the campaign must be people-centered and community-based.
He emphasized that community engagement with relevant stakeholders especially in the vulnerable Communities is of high priority adding that despite the success of the campaign, challenges ranging from no budgetary allocation to lack of political will have confronted the campaign saying there is need for political support from Local Governments to cascade the policy to the people, who are the direct beneficiaries.
In his welcome address, the Chairman, Agege Local Government Alhaji Kola Egunjobi condemned open defecation and poor sanitation saying these two elements are critical to health and Human Capital which affects socio economic growth of any community.
He pledged the support of Agege Local Government towards the campaign adding that his office was set to construct more public Toilets within the jurisdiction of Agege Local Government.
He urged citizens of his Local Government to make sanitation a priority by supporting Lagos State Government to make essential change for humanity in order to have a thriving economy.