World Toilet Day 2024: Oyegbola-Sodipo Unfolds Actions To Eradicate Open Defecation And Improve Community Sanitation In Abeokuta North LGA

The newly-inaugurated Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government in  Ogun State, Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo, has stated that his administration would do everything possible to promote a healthier and hygienic environment by eradicating open defecation across communities in the local government area. 

Speaking yesterday in Abeokuta, in commemoration of this year's World Toilet Day with the theme, "A Call for Resilient Sanitation", he said a clean and healthy environment was pivotal for the development of both human capital and economic growth because productivity would be enhanced when people are healthy people. 

"As we commemorate World Toilet Day 2024, I urge everyone to remember that environmental sanitation is crucial for our health, dignity, and well-being. Open defecation is a menace that we must collectively fight against, as it poses significant risks to our communities. Let us embrace personal hygiene and strive for a clean environment, because everyone deserves access to safe and dignified sanitation facilities," he stated. 

To underscore his commitment to the promotion of a healthy environment and lifestyle among the people of the local government, the chairman has encouraged sanitation and sanitary inspectors to go into the communities in the local government and sensitise  residents keep their homes, shops and surroundings clean at all times. 

Leading by example, Hon. Oyegbola-Sodipo during the inauguration ceremony to mark the swearing-in of the newly-elected chairman of Abeokuta Local Government demonstrated leadership by using mobile toilet facilities at the venue in Akomoje. He enjoyed Sanitation and Sanitary Inspectors in the council area to ensure compliance  with maintenance of clean environment across the Local Government Council area. 

World Toilet Day celebrates the importance of toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It is also about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The national theme for this year’s commemoration of the global event, “Use the Toilet and Have Peace”,  focuses on the fact that, for billions of people, sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. When sanitation services are destroyed, damaged or disrupted, untreated human waste spreads in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera, diarrhea which affect community health and the well-being of citizens.

In Nigeria, indiscriminate open defecation is increasingly becoming a big challenge for the government due to the surge in population, while the lack of basic social amenities exacerbate this menace in many rural communities. 

"In Abeokuta North Local Government, our administration's resilience strategy aims to create a positive mindshift whereby the residents embrace personal hygiene, clean environment and environment responsibility as a lifestyle they imbibe in their day-to-day life," Hon. Oyegbola-Sodipo affirmed. 

With health and sanitation as one of the cardinal programmes of his administration, the chairman disclosed that various advocacy and sensitisation programmes would be carried out to upscale adoption of health and environmental consciousness in the residents of the local government. 

He added that he along with the Councillors would also within the available funds ensure infrastructure gaps were bridged as much as the resources could permit, while emphasising that with human face, monitoring and enforcement of existing bye laws would go a long way in achieving the desired result. 

The 2024 campaign for World Toilet Day carries a clear and urgent message: governments must ensure that sanitation and water services are resilient, effective, and accessible to everyone, safeguarded against conflict and climate-induced disruption.