LET’S INVEST IN PUBLIC TOILETS
The provision of conveniences is an imperative
Going by the latest Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) report, no fewer than 48 million people in the country practice open defecation, with only 18 per cent having access to safely managed sanitation services. This perhaps accounts for widespread infections of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that thrive in areas where there is a lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities. “Sanitation is crucial for Nigeria as it is tied to developmental goals. If we are to build one million toilets, it will require significant investment,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chief WASH in Nigeria, Jane Bevan, said last week. “The private sector can help by setting up public toilets and providing business loans to develop sanitation-related businesses.”
Indeed, it is a common sight in many of our towns and cities to find people urinating or defecating either on the roadside or in seemingly obscure corners. Since people who are hard-pressed in the public often must ease themselves in the most inappropriate places, the health hazards posed by this repugnant habit cannot be over-emphasised. This culture is more noticeable at motor-parks, public schools, markets, bus and train terminals, and public squares where there are either no toilets or poorly kept ones. Even some of the nation’s airports have no functional toilets. Where such facilities exist, they are poorly maintained. It is amazing how authorities at all levels should ignore such basic needs as toilets.
The urge to ease oneself most often comes without much warning. When such an urge arises, it should be conveniently responded to. At present, that is not readily available in most Nigerian cities. That is why the provision of public toilets and conveniences is an imperative in a modern society.
What saddens is that the entire country is fast becoming one huge field, where people defecate, without shame, and without taking into consideration the impact of their action on the health of others. In many rural communities, people still build houses without provision for toilets, or latrines where waste can be emptied without others encountering it. In the urban centres, the issue is pervasive. And experts have consistently warned that when large numbers of people are defecating outdoors, it’s extremely difficult to avoid ingesting human waste, either because it has polluted the food or water supplies or because it has been spread by flies and dust.
Even if the government may not be able to provide every facility needed in a city, it must demonstrate not only the inclination to do it, but also create the enabling environment to encourage the private sector to do so. The 774 local government authorities in the country have the primary responsibility of providing and maintaining such facilities. But currently, they are shirking that responsibility.
Beyond that, government, at all levels, must initiate and sustain a re-orientation campaign to educate and enlighten the people on the need for observance of basic hygiene in our communities or cities. It is the loss of this once cherished culture of cleanliness that has today made certain public places a no-go area because of indiscriminate defecation. Schools, churches, mosques and other social institutions should join the campaign if the nation is to be spared the possible consequences of non-availability, and poor use of public toilets.
Given reports that majority of public facilities in Nigeria either do not have toilets or they are broken, this emblem of shame deserves urgent attention.
