FG inspects ministries, schools, barracks to tackle open defecation

The Federal Government said it has commenced sanitary inspection of its establishments including ministries, agencies, schools, barracks, abattoirs and markets to enable it address the issue of open defecation.

The Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Environment Mrs Ibukun Odusote who stated this on Wednesday in a briefing to commemorate the 2019 National Environmental Sanitation Day (NESD) said the exercise which will cover other public places will also help tackle issue of food security, water quality and pollution.

Represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mohammed Yakubu, Odusote said the aimed of declaring 28th June as NESD is to institutionalize sound environmental sanitation practices as a lifestyle among populace through massive awareness creation and reward for innovative best practices in sanitations.

She said this year’s theme “Stop Open Defecation for Healthy living” underscores the problem of open defecation as its effects the quality of environment and make people sick.

“Access to sanitary facilities remains a mirage to a vast majority of our citizenry. Today 4.5 billion people of the world live without safe toilets and 892 million people still practice open defecation,” she said.

While noting that many people still use the bush and water bodies as their regular means for excreta disposal, she said many institutions do not have sanitary facilities and whereby they exist, they are either not adequate, functioning or misused.

She however revealed that in other to promote clean and safe environment, the ministry with other stakeholders is presently reviewing the sanitation policy of 2005 and its guidelines on safe excreta and sewage disposal.