A citizen engagement and capacity-building specialist, USAID Nigeria – State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity, Mr. Habila Salem, and other stakeholders in Ebonyi State, have called for an end to open defecation in the State, to curb the menace associated with the practice.
They made the call during a two-day stakeholders consultative meeting on the review of the State’s Water Resources Policy held at the USAID (State2State) Activity office in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
Mr. Salem said that there was the need to disabuse the minds of residents of the State, especially rural dwellers that open defecation is another form of fertilising their crops, adding that there were many dangers associated with open defecation.
“There is this wrong notion by those who practise open defecation that the practice supplies manures to crops. That’s a very wrong notion because when you compare the advantage of providing manures through human feces, you understand that the danger and disadvantages outweigh the advantages. There are many risks involved which one of them is the constant cholera outbreak in the state.
“So there is the urgent need to correct that notion and to also change the behaviour of people. There are alternative ways of manuring our farms, not through open defecation. That’s not a good idea for me,” he said.
He also advised the state government to carry out more sensitisation of citizens on the need to stop open defecation.
“State2State is aware of the situation in Ebonyi and that is why State2State is supporting the state to improve WASH Service delivery.
“Coincidentally, we are supporting a review of the state policy. That was the State’s WASH policy to address the situation and that is fundamental.
“When we have a robust policy framework for the state, it will support effective service delivery. And we are looking at service delivery that is responsive to all categories of citizens of the state.
“So currently we are doing that to ensure that the state has a robust policy and legal framework for WASH service delivery.
“The state will need to invest more in cutting down on open defecation, engage with citizens and all stakeholders in addressing this issue.
“The state will also need to sensitise citizens on the dangers of open defecation. There is need for behavioural change of the citizens regarding open defecation.
“So it requires a concerted effort of all. Government alone cannot achieve that. Even private sector participants need to come in. You know, they say for every problem, it may be an opportunity for another to benefit.
“So business people can also come in to provide services in terms of providing public toilets at public places and make some money out of it too. So it’s an opportunity for business for the private sector too. And that will actually go a long way in reducing the problem,” he stated.
In his remark, the General Manager of Ebonyi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (EBRUWASA), Mr. Agwu Joseph, said that the Agency has drilled 51 boreholes across the State in 2024.
He noted that the state was able to achieve this after it paid its counterpart fund of N200m for the Federal Government’s Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (P-WASH).
Mr. Agwu said that under the partnership, more toilets facilities will be constructed in public places to discourage open defecation.
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