Oyo, UNICEF Partner To End Open Defecation By 2028

Oyo State government, through the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening policies, institutional frameworks, and capacity building to accelerate access to inclusive and sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services towards ending open defecation across the state.

This commitment was renewed at a one-day roundtable on the Oyo State Open Defecation Free (ODF) and WASH Campaign, organised by RUWASSA in partnership with UNICEF which held at the Ibadan Business School, Ibadan.

Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, represented by Mrs. Adebukola Akinwale, stressed that access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene was not just a social service but a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of sustainable development.

“The health, dignity, and productivity of our people are directly linked to the availability and sustainability of WASH services. It is our collective responsibility as government, development partners, the private sector, civil society, and communities to build an inclusive system that leaves no one behind,” she said.

In his remarks, the chairman of RUWASSA, Alhaji Babalola Afobaje, raised concern over the high rate of open defecation in Oyo State.

Citing the 2021 WASHNORM report, he noted that 53.7% of the state’s population still engage in open defecation while only 29.2% have access to basic sanitation services.

He described the practice as a public health crisis driving recurring outbreaks of cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid, particularly among children.

Afobaje, however, reaffirmed that Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, in partnership with UNICEF, was determined to eliminate open defecation in all 33 local government areas of Oyo State by 2028.

He also listed ongoing interventions, including the rehabilitation and drilling of boreholes, construction of solar-powered water facilities, and provision of sanitation facilities in public institutions across the state.

For her part, UNICEF WASH Manager, Mrs. Jolly Ann Maulit, presenting a paper on “Unlocking the Potential of the Sanitation Economy”, emphasised the importance of private sector partnerships in bridging the huge sanitation financing gap in Nigeria.

She emphasised on the opportunities in the toilet economy, circular sanitation economy (recycling waste into biogas, fertilizer, and clean water), and smart sanitation economy (technology-driven sanitation services).

Other speakers, including UNICEF WASH Specialist, Lagos Field Office, Mr. Monday Johnson, and Sanitation Marketing Facilitator, Mr. Abdulsalam urged private sector actors, financial institutions, and non-governmental organisations to play active roles in scaling up sanitation solutions, stressing that Oyo State cannot achieve its Open Defecatio-Free (ODF) target without their involvement.