FG plans to criminalise open defecation

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari will soon sign an Executive Order to criminalise open defecation in the country.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this to reporters in Abuja at the weekend.

He said the Order would direct all government agencies, including enforcement agencies, to ban open defecation in the country.

The minister said noted that the president had promulgated the campaign to make the country open defecation-free by 2025.

He the Order would also mandate all federal agencies to maintain adequate toilets in their buildings; and commercial buildings, to open up their toilets facilities for the public.

Adamu said the government would carry out aggressive campaigns to ensure behavioural change regarding that among Nigerians.

“The campaign will actually be driven by the states themselves, we expect that we will mobilise people such as the civil society, corporate bodies, Nollywood, market women, among others to do the campaign.

“We also hope that individuals and organisations can be sponsoring toilets in schools, medical institutions as the campaign is total, so that there will be a culture of respecting toilets and they need to provide these toilets,’’ he said.

The minister said the Federal Government would monitor and evaluate the progress of the campaign to ensure that Nigeria achieved open defecation free by 20125.

Daily Trust reports that the Federal Government will tomorrow in Abuja launch the Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign tagged “Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet.”