Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has ordered the state Ministry of Justice to prosecute individuals who engage in open defecation within the state.
The governor’s directive was disclosed on Wednesday by the state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, who spoke during a media dialogue in Ibadan, the state capital.
The event, organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), focused on the theme “Eliminating Open Defecation in South West”.
The commissioner highlighted the prevalence of open defecation in the state and emphasized that his ministry is actively working to raise public awareness and discourage residents from participating in this unsanitary practice.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, a staggering 54 per cent of the population in Oyo State, which amounts to eight million people, engage in open defecation.
In the midst of these circumstances, however, Nigeria has surpassed India to claim the top spot globally in terms of the prevalent practice of open defecation.
Consequently, UNICEF has urgently appealed to the government at all levels within the country to adopt practical and pragmatic measures to eradicate open defecation.
In his remark earlier, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist at UNICEF, Monday Johnson, specifically implored the governors of other South West states to implement effective strategies in order to eliminate open defecation within their respective regions.